


What VIXX Does in the Shadows

by 3star4life



Series: Spooky Fics [4]
Category: Kpop - Fandom, VIXX
Genre: Abuse, Alien Invasion, Blood and Gore, Carnival, Cemetery, Character Death, Curses, Dead People, Deal with a Devil, First Dates, Ghost Sex, Ghosts, Graphic Description, Graphic Description of Corpses, Horror, Human Sacrifice, Implied Sexual Content, Inspired By American Horror Story, Inspired by Coraline, Light Angst, M/M, Magic, Masks, Paranormal, Possession, Prostitution, Serial Killers, Shadow - Freeform, Sleep Sex, Slow Burn, SpookyVIXX October, Supernatural Elements, Unrequited Love, Vampire Slayer(s), Vampires, Werewolves, Witchcraft, Zombies, graveyard, mentions of religious themes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-11
Updated: 2020-11-01
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:55:55
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 31
Words: 51,761
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26948590
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/3star4life/pseuds/3star4life
Summary: Spooky-themed VIXX drabbles & fics for the month of October. All prompts are from @crazyjane13 on twitter.Pairings, ratings, and any warnings will be listed in the author notes! In addition I'll include the pairings in the chapter titles. Tags will be updated accordingly!
Relationships: Cha Hakyeon | N/Han Sanghyuk | Hyuk, Cha Hakyeon | N/Jung Taekwoon | Leo, Cha Hakyeon | N/Kim Wonshik | Ravi, Cha Hakyeon | N/Lee Hongbin, Cha Hakyeon | N/Lee Jaehwan | Ken, Han Sanghyuk | Hyuk/Lee Hongbin, Han Sanghyuk | Hyuk/Lee Jaehwan | Ken, Jung Taekwoon | Leo/Lee Hongbin, Jung Taekwoon | Leo/Lee Jaehwan | Ken, Kim Wonshik | Ravi/Lee Hongbin, Kim Wonshik | Ravi/Lee Jaehwan | Ken, Lee Hongbin/Lee Jaehwan | Ken
Series: Spooky Fics [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1957099
Comments: 32
Kudos: 30





	1. Reflect it faithfully (KenVi)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pairing: Jaehwan/Wonshik (Kenvi)  
> Rating: Mature  
> Prompt: Broken Mirror  
> Warnings: mentions of abuse, prostitution, violence, character death

Jaehwan pants, mind feeling foggy and disoriented. A sharp burning pain on his left hand has him gasping. He shakily brings it up, staring at the ragged shard of glass he had been clutching onto with his life digging into his palm. He drops it with a cry, squinting when it breaks into pieces, his eyes immediately flying back to the obscene gash on his hand. With panicked heaving, he turns towards the sink as his right hand fumbles trying to turn it on. Jaehwan hisses while staring at the river of crimson flowing against the eggshell ceramic of the sink, head pounding as his memory feels muddled. 

_What the hell had happened?_

Squeezing his eyes shut as the burning courses up his arms, he tries to remember where he is. He remembers walking into the motel room with his boyfriend of two years. Well, he’s not sure if _boyfriend_ would be the right word. Jaewhan had never actually discussed with Wonshik what exactly their relationship would be called. His ‘co-workers’ had often leered that sleeping with the boss doesn’t make him any special; that he was _just another whore sleeping with the pimp_. Jaehwan didn’t care about what they had to say though. Because Wonshik _did_ make him feel special. If he wasn’t special, then why would Wonshik actively turn away a trick to spend more time with him? Why would the boss bring him small gifts in addition to his pay? Why hadn’t he laid an eye at any of the other boys or girls in the two years Jaehwan had been working for the man? Sure, every now and then he would get a bit rough, yell insults and names that made Jaehwan cry to sleep, or leave a mark or two that he’d need to cover up the next day...but he was good enough. He was the best Jaehwan could do. And he made sure to remind Jaehwan of it.

He remembers Wonshik staring at Jaehwan with rather dark eyes and impolitely _insisting_ on taking a hit of some white powder that he had procured from a little baggy in his pocket. The last thing Jaehwan recalls the sting when the man had backhanded him across his face. _And then black_.

Jaehwan shivers as he opens his eyes, slowly looking up from his hand to see his reflection in the broken mirror in front of him, gasping at the sight: dark brown matted hair stuck to his forehead, purple bruise blooming on his cheekbone, red lips puffy and busted, splotches of blood decorating his nose and cheeks. He staggers back with a scream, bewildered at his appearance. 

“I-what…” he mutters to himself in confusion, staring at the closed bathroom door. Jaehwan runs towards the door, ignoring the grating noise of broken glass, wincing as his injured hand harshly grabs onto the handle and pulls. He rushes into the motel room with a cry, yelping when he stumbles on something rather heavy… and _warm_. Spluttering, he tries to push himself up, letting out a pained screech when he realizes he’s pushing on his cut once more. It’s only when he’s trying to catch his breath does he realize what exactly he fell over and shrieks, immediately pushing himself away.

Wonshik lies in front of him, chest and stomach drenched in blood, eyes wide open, staring at the ceiling, black hair disheveled every which way. Jaehwan clasps his right hand over his mouth as hysterical cries force their way out. 

He crawls towards the body, eyes blurry from tears, lips quivering as he whispers “No, no, no, no, no, no, no. Wonshik? Baby?” Reaching out to touch the other male’s face, screaming once more when the blood from his hand leaves a red handprint. Jaehwan hiccups as he jumps up and away from the body, gripping his hair as he mutters to himself “What have I done? What have I done?” The pounding of his head intensifies as the room spins around him. He stumbles into the bathroom as bile burns up his throat, gasping for air, cries occluding his windpipe. He retches over the sink, once, twice, and a third time, whimpering as shaky hands turn on the sink to wash away the liquid he had just emptied out. 

Jaehwan slowly stares up at what is left of the mirror, ashamed to look at his own mess of a reflection. Except, that is not what he sees. While it’s himself, his face, his feature, the doppelganger staring back at him _i_ _s not_ actually him. His twin in the mirror may look as disheveled as he did only a few moments back, but the reflection has an impassive expression. The brunet blinks, hoping to see clearly through his lashes clumped with tears and possibly dried blood. 

His reflection does not blink.

Sniffling with a wavering breath, Jaehwan tilts his to the right. 

His reflection tilts it to the left.

Jaehwan lets out a shaky breath, lips parted in confusion, whimper building up in the back of his throat.

His reflection remains expressionless.

Jaehwan clasps his hand over his mouth, backing away from the sink, from the tattered broken mirror until his back hits the glass door of the shower behind him.

Suddenly, as if the most delicate of movements, does Jaehwan notice...his reflection smirks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've took this fic in like three different directions before ending up here. Sorry to make Wonshik the bad guy here, but my solace is that we all know he's a sweetheart in real life! Title based on "Mirror" by Sylvia Plath.


	2. Graveyard shift (HyuKen)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pairing: Sanghyuk/Jaehwan (HyuKen but mostly Sanghyuk-centric)  
> Rating: G  
> Prompt: Grave  
> No actual warnings

Being a groundskeeper at a cemetery isn’t all as exciting as one would think. If Sanghyuk were to be honest, it’s rather tame. His duties consisted of making sure the grass is nicely cut and taken care of, vandals weren’t loitering around, and pruning the trees. Nothing too exciting, nothing eventful. He comes in every morning at seven and leaves every evening at five. And today would be no different, except that he was careless enough to leave his phone in the shed containing all of his gardening tools.

When he had told his roommate he’s going to go back for it, Wonshik gawked at him with concern. “A-at night? You’re going to the graveyard at night?!” he had shouted.

Sanghyuk impassively stared at the other male, already reaching for his keys. “Oh calm down. It’s only ten. I’ll be in and out.” he said as he walked out, ignoring how Wonshik was warning that he’s about to faint. Sanghyuk has always been a bit braver than the next person. A simple stroll through the cemetery, his office, at night was not about to deter him from leaving his previous cellphone there.

He reaches the shed and yawns, eyes screening the graveyard as he fiddles with the lock. He turns on the lights and immediately sees his phone innocently sitting where he had left it on the table. “Ah, do you know how much trouble you’ve caused me?” he half-heartedly scolds the device, giving it a playful pout before sliding it into his back pocket. Sanghyuk turns up the light and closes up the shed, whistling as he walks back towards his car.

The evening breeze is particularly chilly, causing Sanghyunk to wrap his arms around himself. A sudden rustling makes him stop at his tracks. Sanghyuk turns his head towards the direction of the noise only to be met with silence. Waiting for a second, he shrugs and starts walking again, until he hears another rustle from the same direction. Stopping for a second time, he exasperatedly shrugs. He was hoping this would be a quick affair: come in, grab the phone, get out. Now he has to go deal with some trespassing kids or maybe a possum or some shit.

“I really don’t feel like dealing with this shit right now.” he mutters to himself, thinking about the cup of hot chocolate Wonshik had just made, his warm blanket, the episode of Naruto loaded on his laptop; all of which would have to wait because some idiots felt like sneaking into a graveyard.

Sanghyuk scoffs as he walks closer to the sound, ready to bust some teens that were probably making out saying “Okay kids, let’s break it up n-” only to find that there is no one there. He looks around to see if the would-be offenders have run off, but to no avail. “What the fuck?” he says to himself.

He rolls his eyes, “I do not have time for this.” he loudly declares to himself, turning back towards the direction he just walked from. And then he hears it. That rustling. Sanghyuk pauses, glancing over at a grave two spots over his left. He pads his way over there as the noise grows louder, a little bit annoyed that he might have a gopher problem he has to deal with and a little bit, well, unsettled.

The groundskeeper stops at the edge of a grave without a tombstone, staring at the neatly cut, green grass, a noise bustling from below. Sanghyuk unconsciously swallows a lump in his throat he didn’t realize had formed. He leans his head in a little closer towards the grave, eyebrows scrunched together in equal parts confusion and concentration. The noise grows louder, appearing to be closer as the grass above the grave seems like it’s moving. Sanghyuk tilts his head, blinking in confusion.

Suddenly, a single hand sticks out from the grave, dirt-covered crooked fingers flexing out. Sanghyuk lets out a blood-curdling shriek, moving back before falling down. He glances up to see the hand rotating, then reaching towards his direction. The arm extends out the grave, with the grappling for the loose dirt around it. Sanghyuk clumsily gets back up on his feet and runs, immediately tripping. He howls at a sudden jolt of pain in his no doubt sprained ankle. Turning back around he sees a second arm extending out from the grave, equally terrifying hand clawing at the dirt and grass. Sanghyuk crawls back, wheezing as his back hits a tombstone.

The next moment, a dirt-covered head pops out from the grave, face consisting of pale alabaster skin, hallowed in cheeks, sunken under eyes. Sanghyuk finds himself gasping, his mind shouting at him to move, but his body being paralyzed, arms and legs refusing to work. He watches as the corpse in front of him pulls itself up from the grave, grunting and groaning in the process, body dressed in nothing but a dress shirt and slacks with a loose tie around its neck.

He’s gasping, scream building up in his chest but refusing to leave his mouth. The corpse completely pulls itself out, body contorting in inhumane ways as it tries to stand up, only to fall down to a kneeling position. Sanghyuk finds himself shaking, still feeling immobile from the shock of what he is seeing.

He hears the corpse cough, muttering in a raspy voice “Well, that was exhausting.” It coughs once more, holding its chest. It looks up towards where Sanghyuk is, immediately locking eyes with the groundskeeper and then...it smirks. “Hey there!” he says. Sanghyuk’s eyes go wide as the corpse crawls over to him, dragging his dangly limbs that seem to be working just as well as Sanghyuk’s own legs are. The corpse collapses a mere few inches from Sanghyuk, letting out “Well shit!” Within a second, it glances back up at Sanghyuk and grins, extending a rotten, dirtied hand to the groundskeeper, “Name’s Lee Jaehwan.” he says with a wink.

Sanghyuk takes in a breath. “I’m about to faint.” is all he can say before blacking out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a rather light one, meant to have some humor. I ended up writing another fic where Sanghyuk and Jaehwan _do_ end up making out in a graveyard which is a bit darker that you can find [here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26831029) if you want.
> 
> Feel free to follow me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/3star4life)


	3. Carnival at the Boardwalk (RaBin)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pairing: Hongbin/Wonshik  
> Rating: G  
> Prompt: Shadow  
> No warnings.

Hongbin blinks as he stares at the ground. Well, rather, staring at his shadow. His unruly shadow, tilting its head even when he isn’t. He scrunches his eyebrows together, copper-colored fringes tickling his forehead, snarling a “Stop it!” 

The shadow moves the head back and shrugs its shoulder, like some pet sulking after their owner yells at them. Hongbin sighs, rolling his eyes and turning away, smile breaking across his face when he notices Wonshik, concentration etched on his face as he walks through the crowd, holding onto their snacks.

He gives Hongbin a goofy smile. “Alright, here’s a cotton candy for you,” he says, handing Hongbin the clouds of sugar, “and an elephant ear for me!” he exclaims loudly, taking a bite out of the doughy goodness. His eyes shut tight, as he lets out an exaggerated groan of delight. He animatedly blinks at Hongbin, licking the sugar of his lips then smiling, “I’m telling you Bin, you’ve made the wrong choice on this one.”

Hongbin finds himself scoffing, taking a big bite of cotton candy, closing his eyes and moaning in pleasure as the soft, puffy threads of sweetness melt in his mouth. He opens his eyes to find Wonshik gawking at him, lips slightly parted, pink dusting the apples on his cheek. “Maybe I could try _your dessert_ later.” he suggests. The older male closes his mouth, gulping, shyly looking away with a smile. Hongbin lets out a giggle.

From the corner of his eyes, he notices movement on the ground. Fighting back the urge to roll his eyes, he side-eyes his phantom shadow. The black outline on the floor moves the shadowed cotton candy stick in front of him, effortlessly getting rid of it from Hongbin’s vision. Then, it gallantly holds up a shadowed knife, aimed towards Wonshik’s unsuspecting shadow. 

Hongbin grits his teeth, looking up at Wonshik. His date is preoccupied looking at one of the carnival’s game stalls, babbling something about how he’s not very good at archery, but he’s pretty decent at ring toss. Hongbin throws his head back with a forced laugh, glaring back at his shadows and shaking his head.

“ _Not.Yet._ ” he whispers to it.

The shadow lowers the phantom knife and drops its head, like a petulant child denied its sweets. Hongbin fixes one more hard glare and looks back up at Wonshik. Feeling a bit daring, he wraps his free hand around the other’s bicep, effectively causing the barely older male to freeze. 

“Who knows,” he says to Wonshik “maybe I’ll win _you_ a prize.” He finishes with a wink and a smile he’s been told can shatter a million hearts. Hongbin hums to himself in content after seeing the pink tips of Wonshik’s ears peeking through his black hair and the blush spreading across his face. 

It’s a beautiful evening at the boardwalk and there's no reason he can’t enjoy a nice date with a cute boy first.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was going to be fully light-hearted at first and then I thought, "Hey...wait a minute." First time ever writing a fic that didn't involve my bias, but I had a good time dishing this one out.
> 
> Feel free to follow me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/3star4life)!


	4. In & all around me (HaKen; KenBin)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pairing: Jaehwan/Hakyeon (HaKen), Jaehwan/Hongbin (KenBin)  
> Rating: E  
> Prompt: Birthmark, "Please try to understand"  
> Warnings: implied sleep-sex (but not really dubcon), *nervous chuckles* ghost-sex?

He is tucked away far in dreamland when he feels the shaking hold of his shoulder. “Jaehwan.” he hears a baritone voice sweetly call out to him. Jaehwan whines, forcefully opening his eyes to blink up at the other male through his messy blond fringes. He is rewarded with a handsome face sporting a dashing smile. “Hey babe, just wanted to say bye before I head out.”

Jaehwan blinks up the brunet in front of him, pouting as he asks, “You’re leaving already Hongbin?” tilting his head up towards the other.

Hongbin chuckles playing with Jaehwan’s hair, “Yeah, I have work in the morning or else I would’ve stayed longer.” He gives a flirty crooked smile, taking Jaehwan’s face into his hand “But I had a really good night. I’d love to take you out on another date.” he murmurs, brushing his thumb against the blond’s cheekbone. 

The older male gives a sleep-ridden smile, biting his lips as he responds, “I think I’d like that a lot.” 

Hongbin gives a toothy grin, leaning forward to place a chaste kiss on his temple “I’ll call you later, but you sleep tight for now.” 

The brunet stands to his full height and Jaehwan notices the other male is already dressed in the suit he had one when they stumbled back a near four hours ago. He yawns, sitting up with the blanket wrapped around him as he sleepily blinks out, “Let me see you out.”

His date chuckles, shaking his head and pushing him back down on his pillow, “No I’ve got it. You go back to sleep. I’ll lock the door on my way out.” he leaves another kiss on his cheek. “Bye.” he says with a gorgeous smile, walking towards the door. 

“Bye.” Jaehwan mumbles back, nuzzling into the pillow, already beginning to drift back to sleep. He hears the locks turning and a gentle thud of the door closing in the distance as Hongbin leaves. It is peacefully quiet as Jaehwan snoozes, softness of the bed and blanket completely enrapturing him in their embrace. A gentle breeze swipes against his fringes, chilly air hitting the pointed tip of his ear. Whimpering, Jaehwan turns to face the other direction. He feels the breeze once more, hitting him one area at a time: his bangs, his ears, his nose, his cheek. 

Scrunching his eyebrows, he groans, hoping the disturbances end soon and does not jostle him out of his sleep. The blanket hugging his frame is slowly pulled away, revealing his shoulders and back to the chilly air of the early mornings, causing him to shiver. Continued tugging of the blanket exposes his naked flank, bare ass, stripped legs. Goosebumps prickle throughout his entire body as Jaehwan whines. “I’m trying to sleep here!”

Jaehwan feels a dip at the edge of his bed, pouting and choosing to keep his eyes shut as a hint to the other not to disturb him. A _delicate_ caress causes the hair on his legs to rise, skin twitching with anticipation as the touch moves further up his body, over his sides, up his arms, to his shoulders. He feels a gentle cool hold at his waist, thumbing against a faded birthmark, ripples of a muted stroke against his temple. Jaehwan sighs, eyes still shut and sleepy, mumbling “Hakyeon, please try to understand, I just came twice a few hours ago and am very tired right now.” He slowly turned towards the ministrations, opening his eyes, keeping them half-lidded as he sees nothing but his white, textured ceiling.

There is no surprise really, since Jaehwan didn’t actually expect to see anything or anyone. He exhales at the tickle he feels against his face, the flutter of touch down his side to his inner legs. The lightness of the touch becomes heavy, digging into his flesh. Jaehwan lets out a whimper as his legs are spread, featherlight touches against his skin in contrast to the obscene position he’s in causing his legs to quiver. Feeling a welcomed, _cool_ hold on the base of his cock compared to the freezing room, he moans, body slowly heating up. “ _Hakyeon please…_ ” he mutters, thrusting up into the phantom grip on his length, mentally debating with himself if he wants to close his legs or not.

He shivers as the decision is made for him, a weight holding his leg open, bending his knees up as the sensation from his length moves away. The blond chokes on his spit when he feels pressure against his lube-slicked entrance. His opening quivers around dense air as he feels a tender glide in...then out. Jaehwan whines, biting his lips, turning his head to the side. The pressure pushing inside him gets heavier, making him gasp out a moan. “ _F-fuck…_ ” he laments. His arms itch to wrap around something hard, warm, and _tangible_ , but alas his hands must settle in clutching onto his sheets. 

Jaehwan wails at a particular thrust, one hand reaching up to his mouth, fingers ghosting against his lips. Sliding two of the fingers in, he gingerly sucks to ensure, on one hand, that his neighbors don’t lodge _another_ noise complaint against him at four am and perhaps, on the other hand, because his lips crave something warm to brush up against. The blond knows the latter would be impossible, as he had come to that conclusion several months ago his tryst with the invisible man had started. 

Hakyeon initially introduced himself by doing _mildly_ annoying things, such as moving around things in his kitchen, purposely creaking open doors while he used the bathroom, purposely pulling off his blanket as he slept. While Jaehwan was initially spooked, then _irritated_ , by these actions, Hakyeon would make up for his antics: he’d close forgotten windows which were left open, clean up sudden spills, even putting something over Jaehwan when the blond falls asleep on his couch or patio. Eventually Hakyeon started to leave little notes around the apartment, introducing himself and ranging from a simple “ _Remember to call your mom_ ” to _Have a beautiful day, cutie!_ ” The spirit was charming, helpful, and, as Jaehwan would find out not much later, a gentleman, scribbling out a polite “ _Hey, c_ _an I fuck you?_ ”

There are worse problems that can come with a new apartment, Jaehwan had mused to himself. A benevolent spirit occasionally fucking him into the bed or waking from a drowsy wet-dream with drying ectoplasm across his face, fingers, or thighs wasn’t _so_ bad. He did like a good fuck.

The blond keens around his fingers at a particular thrust in, toes curling, eyes scrunching shut. He feels a familiar breeze against his ears, an airy, lustful voice echoing against it “ _I_ _want to hear you_.” Jaehwan whines as he feels a phantom grip around his wrist, pulling his fingers out of his mouth and pinning his hand against his pillow. He cries out as the pressure driven inside him intensifies, sweeping against his prostate with each thrust. 

“Fuck, Hakyeon, _yes!_ ” he shouts, prompting the hold around his wrist to tighten. Jaehwan whimpers at the light pain, a rush of arousal sweeping straight to his core as he imagines the faint purpling bruises it may leave. Even if Jaehwan cannot actually see or touch Hakyeon, he can admire the blooming marks left against his skin when the apparition manhandles him. Besides being a huge turn-on for Jaehwan, it also supported the fact that he wasn’t crazy or imagining all of this and here is the _proof_. 

Jaehwan sobs as his leg is pushed up against his chest as the deep thrusting intensifies, practically howling out litanies of _ah_ , _Hakyeon,_ and _fuck_ s. A familiar warmth wraps around his cock, smoothly stroking up and down until the blond arches his back, releasing streaks of white on his abs and chest. Jaehwan continues moaning as he’s fucked through his orgasm and then whimpers from the oversensitivity as the specter chases his own release. He mewls when he feels the force pulled away from him, his puckered hole fluttering around emptiness as cool streaks land on his thighs.

Panting, he blinks, reaching down between his thighs, swiping at the sticky wetness. Bringing his fingers up, he rubs the viscous white material on his fingertips with his thumbs, feeling a light sweep against his bottom lips. He closes his eyes and sucks in his fingers then his thumbs, sighing around them as he cleans the material off. His breath stutters when he feels a cool sensation on his inner thighs, lapping with reverence, moving up to his abdomen and chest, particularly remaining over his birthmark. He opens his eyes, marveling at his now cleaned skin, feeling heat rush to his cheeks.

Jaehwan huffs out a tired breath and collapses onto the bed, “I’d say thank you, but I didn’t ask you to squirt out your ectoplasm on me.” he mumbles in a playfully bratty tone, turning to his side, eyes already drowsy. The blanket is pulled back up and tucked around him, enveloping the blond into a secure warmth. He nuzzles against his pillows once more, hoping to drift back to dreamland. Before he completely dozes off, he feels the faintest brush against his temple.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Um...idk how you all might feel about this *nervous sweating* haha! Slightly inspired by a KenBin fic I read years ago on tumblr called [Benevolent Spirits](https://savechahakyeon.tumblr.com//post/99588286621/title-benevolent-spirits-ship-kenbin-side) by user savechahakyeon.
> 
> Day four done, onto the next one!
> 
> Feel free to follow me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/3star4life)!


	5. It's Always Here, Always (HyuKen)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pairing: Sanghyuk/Jaehwan (HyuKen)  
> Rating: T  
> Prompt: Secret/ "It's always here, always"  
> Warnings: mentions of dead character(s), minor character death, descriptions of corpses

“He holds up so well, after what he’s been through.”

These are words Sanghyuk has heard other’s whispering about him for years, since the tender age of thirteen when his parents were found dead in their foyer. No one had any clue how it had happened. It was the housekeeper that had found Sanghyuk the next morning, sitting on the bottom of the staircase, staring at the bodies of his dead parents in shock. Everyone pitied the poor boy, the police and medical examiners unable to state how Mr. and Mrs. Han came to pass. Everyone pitied the poor boy when his negligent uncle and guardian left him to live in the big manor with the exception of a daytime housekeeper, gardener, and cook. Everyone worried for the poor boy who had to live and sleep alone, all by himself in the place that claimed his parents' lives.

Initially, Sanghyuk was terrified, hiding away under his covers, closing his eyes hoping to shield himself from all of the other spirits in the house. He’d hold his hands against his ears hoping to shut out that sound, that _hauntingly beautiful_ sound that rang throughout the halls in the early hours of the morning. But Sanghyuk was young then. Throughout the years he had figured out how to survive in this trap of a manor; he learned what the rules were.

See, Sanghyuk had a secret: he knows exactly how his parents had died. He always knew. And he will never forget how. Because it’s always here, always. 

The it in question is the figure that stumbled into the manor, tracking in with muddy footprints from the lake on the property, every few days. He’d know of its arrival every time he heard the familiar singing of _Lala lalalala lala, lala lalalala_ the light voice bouncing off the walls, echoing through the house. He would watch from above the staircase as the figure waltzed around in the foyer, dancing to himself as he continued that hum. 

He _had seen_ that figure, halting in its dancing, tilting his head to peer towards his parents with its sunken eyes, boney cheeks. He _had gasped_ when his dad approached the figure, demanding to know who he was as his mom shouted she’ll call the police. He _had weeped_ when he saw it gripping the neck of both of his parents on that fateful evening, holding their lifeless bodies up, before dropping them down to the floor: blank expression, unmoving, as it turned around and walked back out the door to where it came from. Sanghyuk knew since that night, you do not disturb _him_ during his dance. 

Now twenty-four years old, more emotionally and mentally mature than he was at the young age of thirteen, he sits in his room and waits. And waits. And waits. The main door doesn’t always make a noise when it’s opened, so Sanghyuk doesn't know if he has arrived until he hears the all too intimate _Lala lalalala lala, lala lalalala_.

Sanghyuk walks out to the hallway, watching the figure clad in tattered blue velvet, matted black hair sticking against his skeletonized face, waltzing around the foyer, in his own little world. He takes a deep breath, deciding to make his way down the stairs in careful, tested steps. The figure stops dancing as the creaks of the staircase grow closer, slowly turning around to glance at Sanghyuk, tilting its head, breaking out in a ghastly smile.

“ _Darling_ ,” says he says in an airy, lilting voice fading away towards the last syllable, “ _H_ _ave you finally come to join me…”_ it grins, extending an arm towards Sanghyuk. 

The taller male looks at the pale, ghostly hands; fingers which were once elegant now burdened with degenerating flesh. He glances up to find the monstrous face, beaming in serenity and desperation. Sanghyuk smiles back, taking the cold, dead hand. “ _Of course my love_.” he responds.

He pulls the figure close to him, his own shaky hand moving to rest at the corpse’s waist. The figure gives a delighted sigh, the wistful noise immediately lost in the air. They commence the waltz the figure had started, the corpse humming the familiar tune once more as Sanghyuk stares into those hallowed, dead eyes.

They turn rhythmically around the foyer, around and around, second after second passing by. As they turn, the figure's humming gets fainter, slowly replaced by music orchestrated to perfection. The once dark foyer is lit up with hundreds of candles. As they continue to waltz, the light in the figure’s dead hollowed eyes slowly return to deep brown. The color slowly restores to the pale, dull skin and grey, cold lips. A pointed nose decorates the center of its face. The smile on the figure’s face changes from frightening to dazzling. The figure in front of Sanghyuk no longer that of a deteriorating corpse, but rather a beautiful man.

Sanghyuk lets out a shaky breath, the hand moving up from the man’s warm waist, to hold his face. The man in front of him blinks at Sanghyuk, nuzzling into his palm with a content sigh. 

_“I’m so happy, I could die."_ the man in front of him says in a honey sweet voice that pulls at the strings in Sanghyuk’s heart.

The taller male finds himself breaking out in a sad smile, his thumb padding along the other’s soft petal-like lips. He leans closer to connect their mouths, capturing the soft bottom lip between his, taking in the sweet moan the other gives. Unwillingly, Sanghyuk pulls away, boring his gaze into the pretty brown eyes in front of him, the ones he could see himself getting lost in forever. He gives a pitiful grin and replies _“As could I.”_ The figure in front of him smiles widely, a perfect boxy grin making Sanghyuk’s heart melt. 

They turn rhythmically around the foyer, around and around, second after second passing by. As they turn, the orchestra gets fainter, slowly replaced by the haunting humming of the figure clad in blue velvet. The once lit up foyer slowly steadies to darkness. As they continue to waltz, the bright, brown eyes slowly lose their liveliness, returning to being dead and hollowed. The color fades away from the pale, dull skin and grey, cold lips. The pointed nose disappears until there is nothing left. The once shining smile turns ghastly, until it drops all together.

He stops dancing, hands moving away from Sanghyuk’s shoulders, features now morphed back to the skeletonized version that he had arrived in, blankly staring back at Sanghyuk, whispering _“I must go back...”_ in that same airy, lilting voice, lost in the wind.

Sanghyuk swallows the lump in his throat, nodding. “Good night _Jaehwan_.” he finally says. “I’ll see you next time.”

The figure does not respond, turning around and tracing his muddy footprints back out the door in a daze and to the lake from which he came. The lake in which his body lays to rest for all of eternity, tethered and forgotten.

The young master of the house waits until the other has left out the front door, only then walking up to the doorway. He longingly watches the figure, the one he had watched since he was a child, the figure he had fell in love with since he was a young man, watches it tread in a trance to its watery fortress. Sanghyuk's chest already tightens, heart's already craving for the other to return. 

Because Sanghyuk has a secret: he’s always here, always. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The music I imagined for the waltz is “Sicilienne” by Fauré you can hear [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBz8S1b1dEs). I was inspired a great deal by The Haunting of Bly Manor, all of which I binged yesterday. I didn't go into too much backstory, assuming that throughout the years Sanghyuk had begun to research more about the people who had lived in the house. That's how he knew who Jaehwan was. As for Jaehwan's backstory? I'll leave that up to the readers. Unbeta'd as usual, so please excuse and typos. 
> 
> Feel free to follow me on[twitter](https://twitter.com/3star4life)!


	6. Brown Eyes (Keo; KenVi)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pairing: Taekwoon/Jaehwan (Keo); Wonshik/Jaehwan (KenVi)  
> Rating: M  
> Prompt: doll/"I can't do this"  
> Warning: possession, mentions of religious themes, character death

Taekwoon watches unimpressed as the tethered male tosses in front of him in bed, whining and pulling at his restraints, grunting through gritted teeth. He locks his feral eyes with Taekwoon, dark brown hair matted with his sweaty forehead, teeth bared ready to attack, jaw flexed. The older male stares right back, not a shred of intimidation appearing on his face. He watches the younger male on the bed, as his hands go slack around his restraints. 

Jaehwan, or rather _it_ , tilts Jaehwan’s head to the side and offers Taekwoon a lopsided grin, biting his bottom lip and he whines. “Oh _Fatherrr_ ,” he starts off, dragging out the last syllable, he forms his lips into a pout and practically purrs out “now that you’ve got _your little Jyanie_ all tied up with nowhere to go, why don’t you join him.” He pulls weakly on the restraints with an exaggerated moan. “I bet you’ve _dreeeamed_ about having him at your disposal like this,” he continues, moaning out in a higher pitch, arching his body up, spreading his legs obscenely, “all sprawled out on your bed, ready for you to take him.” he says in a gravely voice. Tilting his head with a frown, “Don’t you? Because I know little _Jaehwaniee_ wouldn’t mind...he dreamt of this moment, you know.” he says with a dangerous glint, mischievous giggle escaping his lips. 

Taekwoon blankly stares, refusing to let the _t_ _hing_ possessing Jaehwan’s body to rouse a reaction out of him.

The boy in the bed whines, pouting his pink lips as he whimpers, “You know, I know all of his secrets...his deepest fantasies. Oh how he dreams of you throwing him in your bed, pinning his hands down, absolutely _ravaging_ him, _fucking him into the bed._ He’d beg you to take all of him, treat him like your little _slut_ , slap him for being such a _naughty boy._ ” he rasps out, imitating little gasps and breathy moans. “Oh _Taekwoon,_ oh _Father_ , won’t you please please _please just fuck me_.” he whines out with desperation, locking his eyes with Taekwoon. 

The Father stares back unfazed, hands tucked inside his pockets, not a single expression on his face. 

Jaehwan sighs, looking up at Taekwoon as he breaks out into a cackle. “Oh boy, I’ll admit, you sure are a tough cookie!” he says between his laughs. He turns his head toward Wonshik, finally acknowledging the other younger male in the room, “Meanwhile I bet this fucker over here popped a _little boner._ ” he mocks, a teasing smirk appearing on his face.

Wonshik flushes, stuttering as his hands subconsciously reach down to cover his half-hardening erection. 

The boy in the bed scoffs, “Fucking _pathetic_." he growls out. “Say, Wonshik, how often have you beaten off to the thoughts of your precious _Jyanie hyung_ ’s lip wrapped around your sorry little cock?” 

Taekwoon hears Wonshik’s breath picking up as he stutters, “I-i don’t…” The older male places a comforting hand on Wonshik’s shoulder, because he doesn’t need to respond. 

Jaehwan guffaws at Wonshik, tilting his head and moving closer, “Because Wonshik, let me tell you something,” he whispers, “it never, _never_ , ever would’ve happened.” he growls, breaking out into a maniacal laughter. “Because he doesn’t _fuckin_ want you!” he bellows, cackling once more.

Taekwoon tightens his hold on the trembling Wonshik’s shoulder, leaning in close to the younger male's ear and whispering “Don’t listen to a word this demon is saying; this is not Jaehwan.” Wonshik holds back a whimper, nodding. 

The Father turns back to the boy in the bed, the demon sporting a shit-eating-grin, looking at Taekwoon with predator eyes. Jaehwan whines, “Oh Father, _Father,_ won’t you please let little Jaehwaniee go?” he says with a pout. “He promises to be good... _just for you_." he taunts with a laugh. 

Taekwoon takes in a deep breath, as he picks up his bible, nodding at Wonshik to do the same, and continues to loudly read. _Patience_. He tells himself, his mind drifting to the weight of the blade in his pocket. _Patience_. 

The demon tosses and turns on the bed, getting aggravated as the seconds pass by, the teasing and flirting tone being replaced by a deep growl, “Fucking let me go, _you fucking cocksuckers!_ Let me fucking out of here!” it shouts at the duo. In a sudden movement, he arches his back up and gasps, collapsing back down to the bed, hollowed eyes immediately brimming with tears. 

In a panic Jaehwan, the _real_ Jaehwan, cries out towards them. “ _Taek-Taekwoon, Wonshik please help me, please!”_ he hiccups in between cries.

Wonshik grabs Taekwoon’s shoulder, startled eyes staring at him. The Father swallows the lump in his throat, turning towards Wonshik and nodding. “ _Now._ ” he says, taking out the blade and handing it to the younger male. Wonshik clutches the knife and walks towards the bed with a shaky breath. He calls out to his friend, fighting back his own tears, “ _J_ _-jae? Is that you?”_

Jaehwan hysterically cries from the bed, “ _Wonshik! Wonshik please help me! I-I don’t wanna die Wonshik, I don’t wanna die!”_ he says pulling at the restraints, pleading eyes locking with his friends, lips trembling as he whimpers. _“It-it hurts so much,”_ he wails out, _“p-please save me!”_ he cries.

“Oh _Jae_ ,” Wonshik says, his voice cracking. His free trembling hand reaches up to ghost over Jaehwan’s dark fringes, too hesitant to actually touch the male. Wonshik’s heart pushes against his rib cage as he watches his best friend hurting with so much pain. _“I-I’m gonna fix this...I’m gonna fix this.”_ he whispers to the crying boy in between his own tears. 

Taekwoon sighs, straining his jaw, “Wonshik, we don’t have much time.”

Wonshik nods, because he knows. He knows that the demon can pull Jaehwan away from them at any second, hiding his loveable Jyani away for good, taking over Jaehwan’s fragile body once more, filling it with rage and evil. He raises the knife as Jaehwan cries out below him, hands trembling as he drops it. “I-I can’t, I can’t do this!” he shouts at Taekwoon, breaking out into a sob, tears falling down his cheeks. “I can’t do this to Jaehwan.” he nearly screams.

Taekwoon takes in a deep breath, watching the brunet on the bed crying miserably, pink dusting his cheeks and pointed nose, lips puffy and soft, round brown eyes blinking through clumps of tears. He had always reminded Taekwoon of a porcelain doll, meant to be treasured and taken care of...and he would remind Taekwoon of one now if it weren’t for the sunken, fatigue under his eyes, the scattered blooming bruises seen throughout his limbs and body, the prominent collarbones and ribs resembling that of a something close to a corpse. The bright smile is no longer present on his face, the sparkle in his brown eyes replaced by a sinister glint. 

He moves from the wailing boy on the bed towards Wonshik, reaching out to gently take the knife from his hand, the younger male immediately letting it go. Taekwoon sighs as he watches Wonshik sniffle, “Oh Wonshik...” he whispers. He understands how special Jaehwan is to Wonshik; how special he’ll always be. The younger male looks up at him and frowns as Taekwoon gives him a sad smile. _“He’s no longer our Jaehwaniee."_ he concludes. Turning to the boy on the bed with round pleading eyes.

He inhales as he stands beside Jaehwan. The tethered male stares back up at Taekwoon, imploring brown eyes locked with the older’s stern gaze. Taekwoon can see in his eyes that he understands what is about to happen, that he understands what needs to be done. Jaehwan’s quivering lips break out into a defeated smile. With a shaky voice, he murmurs to the older male, “Goodbye Taek-“ only to be cut off by a choking gasp.

Taekwoon pulls out the knife he had just pushed in, pointedly disregarding the tears-soaked brown eyes he had grown to adore all these years. Wonshik lets out muffled sobs next to him as the Father plunges the knife back into the other’s chest, ignoring the squelch it makes, ignoring the cries of the younger boy he cherished, ignoring the light slowly leaving the brown eyes.

With a sigh, he pulls out the knife one last time, a warm tear falling down his own cheek. Taekwoon stares at the bloody mess on the bed, Jaehwan’s corpse lying still in the middle. He turns towards the crouching male hiding his face at the foot of the bed, shoulders trembling as he cries. Patting the younger males back he exhales. “We’ve got to clean this up.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Loosely inspired by AHS: Asylum. Hope this isn't too wild for anyone. For the life of me, I cannot think of a decent title lol Please excuse any typos!


	7. Heart (Neo; mentioned ChaBin)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pairing: Taekwoon/Hakyeon (Neo); mentioned Hakyeon/Hongbin (ChaBin)  
> Rating: T  
> Prompt: Heart  
> Warning: mentioned character death

It seems as though the pitter-patter grows worse during the night, as Taekwoon tries to sleep. The gentle  _ lub-dub, lub-dub, lub-dub, lub-dub _ he once enjoyed hearing at night as he laid his head against his lover’s chest, now haunts him from the confines of his precious cabinet. Taekwoon turns to the side thinking about Hakyeon. The man was above all a gentle soul, always coaxing out Taekwoon’s problems out of him, making sure the Taekwoon took breaks from his art to eat and bathe, singing sweet nothings to himself throughout the day, just because. 

The artist smiles despite himself, thinking of the memories. He thinks back to when he first asked Hakyeon to model for him, sitting against the railing on their patio, staring off into the sunset as Taekwoon diligently sketched him out, touching the smooth skin on his cheek as Taekwoon hears the  _ lub-dub, lub-dub, lub-dub, lub-dub _ of his heart. 

Taekwoon’s smile dies down when he thinks of a later time. He remembers the gleeful chuckle Hakyeon had while talking to  _ Hongbin _ on the phone...phone calls that would grow consistent as time went by.

_ Lee Hongbin _ he snarls to himself, face twisting at displeasure over the sourness in his mouth. 

_ lub-dub, lub-dub, lub-dub, lub-dub _

Clenching his pillow, Taekwoon shoves it against his ears, hoping that would stop the sound that  _ just refuses _ to stop. 

He thinks of his last memory with Hakyeon, the one where the older male’s packed bag are set next to the door; the one where Hakyeon tells him that he no longer can be in a toxic, dependent relationship that has no room for trust; the one where he’s crying as he hits his lover over the head with a ceramic pot Hakyeon had made for Taekwoon on their anniversary. He had cried over Hakyeon’s dead body, desperately clutching onto the man he loved, bawling as he held the bleeding against his chest. 

Taekwoon remembers an hour passing, maybe even two, the sun-setting, the moon-appearing as he sat there holding onto his lover’s cold body, kind eyes open blankly staring at nothing. The artist remembers faintly hearing that noise...coming from his lover’s chest. 

_ lub-dub, lub-dub, lub-dub, lub-dub _

He remembers shakily putting his head down on Hakyeon’s chest, to confirm that he does hear that noise he had grown accustomed to sleeping to. Taekwoon remembers the moment he realized that he may have lost Hakyeon, but he’ll never lose the heartbeat he loves so much.

Sitting up with a yelp, Taekwoon lets out a cry. Tears stream down his face as he looks towards his cabinet. 

_ lub-dub, lub-dub, lub-dub, lub-dub _

The noise grows insufferably loud as the artist walks closer to the cabinet, yanking the door open and- quiet. The noise is gone. Taekwoon looks at the still, preserved heart in the jar he had put it in, red, unmoving. With shaky hands, the artist picks it up barely breathing as he holds the jar against his chest. His lips tremble as he brings the jar against his ear.

_ lub-dub, lub-dub, lub-dub, lub-dub _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tried to write a pairing I usually have a hard time shipping (romantically, at least lmao). Some of the inspo is from Leo & Lyn's "Blossom Tears" MV and some from "The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allen Poe.Struggling heavily with the title on this one! Please excuse any typos!


	8. It's not complicated, it's simple (HyuKen)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pairing: Sanghyuk/Jaehwan (HyuKen)  
> Rating: G  
> Prompt: monster/ tick tock tick tock  
> Warning: none

Sanghyuk stares at the novelty clock hung above the stove from his seat at the table. A drawing of a barn adorns the clock, a red rooster standing on top of it.

_Tick tock, tick tock._

He cracks his neck one side and then to the other side, the wooden stake feeling heavy in his jacket pocket. He glances over towards the door, expecting his mark at any minute. The truth is, he was supposed to take out the monster two months ago, or was it three? He had been given specific orders to kill the blood-sucking demon the minute he could get close enough to do so. It wasn’t rocket science, it wasn’t a trick question: Sanghyuk is a vampire-slayer and he was supposed to kill vampires. 

_Tick tock, tick tock_.

Sanghyuk stares at the hour and minute hands of the clock; _9:44_. Out of sheer boredom, he glances down to look at his wristwatch. _9:46 pm_. The novelty clock is two minutes behind. He’d need to tell Jaehwan to fix his clock. Immediately after that thought, he shakes his head. _No_ , he’d need to push this wooden stake through Jaehwan’s heart. Sanghyuk runs a hand through his slicked back brown hair in frustration, looking towards the door. 

_Tick tock, tick tock_.

Despite himself he finds himself pouting, wondering what’s taking the other male so long. _The monster_ , he reminds himself. Generally Jaehwan doesn’t stay out too long when he’s out for errands, always settling on the cautious side especially with the rising number of vampire-slayers in the area (unbeknownst to him, one is currently sitting in his apartment). A faint pulse of worry emerges somewhere in the back of Sanghyuk’s heart. _“Where the hell is he?”_ he mutters to himself, glancing up at the novelty farm clock set two minutes behind. _9:48_.

_Tick tock, tick tock_.

He groans, tapping his foot glaring at the offensive clock. _Where the fuck did he even buy this shit from?_ Sanghyuk asks himself, looking around to see all sorts of mismatched items around the kitchen. When he was sent on a mission to take out a vampire, the last thing he had expected was one with such tacky and random taste...or one so bubbly, immediately introducing himself to the vampire-slayer when they met at the karaoke bar...or one that would do karaoke unashamedly on a Friday night instead of hunting for some fresh blood. 

Sanghyuk rubs his eyes, having half the mind to get up and go looking for the vampire when he hears keys jingling against the front door knob. The door opens and the blond male comes in with a paper bag, a gloomy look on his face as he sighs, turning the lights of his apartment on. His head immediately snaps to Sanghyuk’s brooding figure in alarm, worried look immediately melting into a _beautiful_ smile upon recognition.

_“Hyoagie!”_ the vampire chirps out, closing the door behind him as he speed-walks to the kitchen table like an excited toddler, immediately depositing the brown paper bag on the table. _“I’ve missed you!”_ he loudly announces in a voice dripping with caramel, plopping down on Sanghyuk’s lap without a warning.

The vampire-slayer rolls his eyes, arms habitually wrapping around Jaehwan’s waist as he mutters “You literally saw me the night before yesterday.” fighting to hold back a smile at the pout forming on the blond’s lips.

“ _Trueee_ , but I didn’t see you _last night_.” he whines out, placing a peck on the human’s lips, then two on either cheeks, arms clinging around his neck as the vampire nuzzles against his temple. “I’m so happy to see you.” he giggles, moving his head up to peer into Sanghyuk’s eyes, a wide smile on display.

Sanghyuk heart stops for a second as he looks up at the monster. The logical part of his brain yells _here’s your shot, do it now,_ the wooden stake feeling heavier in his pocket. He registers the annoying ticking of that stupid clock.

_Tick tock, tick tock_.

His palm itches, perhaps to grapple the stake out and plunge it into the monster’s chest; drive it right through Jaehwan’s heart; watch the blond bleed out and die on his lap; watch as the dazzling smile melts right off his face, the pretty brown eyes going wide in fear, wide in betrayal. He has the chance now, the vampire being a sitting duck right on his lap. He lets out the breath he doesn’t realize he’s been holding in, moving his hand away from where it rested on Jaehwan’s lower back and closer to his jacket.

The vampire on his lap pouts, tilting his head as he asks in confusion, “What’s wrong Hyoagie? You seem quieter than usual?” a finger reaching out to poke at the vampire-slayer’s cheek adding an animated _“Boop.”_ as he puffs up his own cheeks.

Sanghyuk freezes, staring up at the blond on his lap, as all the thoughts running through his head pauses. He bursts out laughing uncontrollably, his hand reaching out to take Jaehwan’s pleased face into his hand, rubbing his thumb against the other’s cheekbone. “Nothing’s wrong.” he chuckles out, bringing the vampire closer to connect their lips, Jaehwan immediately sighing against Sanghyuk’s lips. Momentarily, Sanghyuk forgets about the weight of the wooden stake in his jacket, the constant _tick tock, tick tock_ of the ugly clock on the kitchen wall, the nagging voice reminding him to finish the job, complete his mission. He pulls back to mumble against Jaehwan’s lips, “I’m happy to see you too.”

Because it’s not rocket science, it’s not a trick question...it’s something much more complicated: it’s love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thought I'd write something a little light after going down a dark path lol Here's some fluffy (well...to an extent) HyuKen!


	9. Bloody Face (HyuKen)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pairing: Sanghyuk/Jaehwan (HyuKen)  
> Rating: M to E  
> Prompt: mask/"I love you"  
> Warning: referenced deaths, serial killers, grotesque mask

_“The killer has been named ‘Bloody Face,’ based on the mask made of bloody skin the killer was wearing in this CCTV footage. There have been four known victims. The police have mentioned the victims are all males in their mid-twenties to early-thirties, in healthy shap-”_ Sanghyuk moves his attention away from the tv at the entrance, to check his watch. It’s ten minutes past when they were supposed to meet, but Sanghyuk’s not surprised: Jaehwan was always running late. 

He stares out the restaurant’s window to see the rain still hasn’t stopped. Scrunching his eyebrows, he pulls out his phone to text his boyfriend, seeing that the latter had already messaged him seven texts full of aegyo, emojis, and stickers along with a _uber is saying I’ll be there in two minutes!_ Sanghyuk scoffs, smiling to himself nonetheless. In the two and a half months he’s dated the older male, Sanghyuk has come to learn the different quirks Jaehwan has. Sliding his phone back in his pocket, his attention goes back to the television screen. A photo of a man in a warehouse clad in a dark jacket with some grisly, bloody mask, long black strands sticking out from the mask. Sanghyuk makes a face of disgust; maybe the restaurant should reconsider what content they play at their waiting area. 

The restaurant door opens and a panting Jaehwan stumbles in, trench coat soaked, dark brown fringes damp and sticking to his forehead. _Ah, he forgot his umbrella,_ Sanghyuk thinks to himself. Jaehwan stands in front of the door, shaking his coat, brushing his hand against hair hoping to get the loose water droplets out. He looks up to see Sanghyuk, smiling sheepishly at his boyfriend as he walks up to his boyfriend, leaning in for a hug. “Sorry I’m late! I didn’t realize how bad traffic would be.” He pouts, seeing some wetness on Sanghyuk’s coat, “And sorry for getting you wet.” he mumbles as he pats against damp spots. He embarrassingly looks up at Sanghyuk, biting his bottom lip “I, uh...forgot my umbrella.”

The younger male smiles, pulling his boyfriend in for a case. “You’re lucky I love you.” he mumbles against Jaehwan’s lips. “Now let's go in before they give our table away.” 

* * *

Sanghyuk watches in amusement as his boyfriend practically devours his salad in front of him, cheeks puffed out like a gerbil, chewing in content, ranch dripping out the side of his pink lips. The younger males tuts, reaching over to wipe away the dressing with his napkin, “Easy there little bunny or you’ll be too full by time our main courses arrive.”

Jaehwan blinks up as Sanghyuk swipes away his mess and stares down at what’s left of his salad, getting flushed. “ _Oops!_ ” he whispers, giving Sanghyuk a bashful smile. Swallowing what’s left of his salad, he peeps “I guess I didn’t realize how hungry I was.”

Sanghyuk gives a shit-eating grin, teasing “It’s okay, I think it’s cute how your cheeks puff up like that.”

The brunet stares at Sanghyuk with wide eyes, blinking before breaking out with a flirty grin. “ _Well_ ,” he starts off in a husky voice, “I can tell you right now, I’m definitely cuter with a _cock in my mouth_.”

Sanghyuk chokes out his drink, looking around to make sure no one heard that scandalous statement. The truth of the matter is, Sanghyuk knows that Jaehwan _does_ in fact look... _cute_ with a cock in his mouth. He looks back at his boyfriend to find the other innocently sipping on his water, winking at him. Sanghyuk takes a sip of his wine, running a hand through his black hair, chuckling as he mutters “Oh baby, _you’re gonna kill me._ ” 

Jaehwan shrugs, satisfied smirk gracing his face. When the waiter walks over to remove their plates, Sanghyuk’s eyes land on the phone screen of a woman a few tables away. He’s not the eavesdropping type, but it’s kind of hard not to when the woman is zooming into the gruesome tattered mask of the serial killer Bloody Face. _Now why would you look at that while you’re at dinner_...he wonders to himself shaking his head, moving his attention to Jaehwan when the older male spills a few drops of wine on his sweater. 

* * *

Sanghyuk is pushed against the door, Jaehwan giggling against his lips as the pair struggle to kick their shoes off. The brunet wraps his arm around Sanghyuk’s broad shoulder, pulling the taller male down to deepen the kiss, stumbling back until Sanghyuk has him pinned up against a wall. Jaehwan mewls against the Sanghyuk’s lips as his nibbles on the shorter male’s puffy bottom lip. The brunet pushes Sanghyuk back, lips still connected, until the younger male feels his calves hitting the couch. Jaehwan pulls away, pushing Sanghyuk down to sit while he drops down to his knees, busy hands immediately reaching for Sanghyuk’s belt. 

_“I’ve been thinking about this all night.”_ he claims, pulling the taller male’s pants and boxers down just enough to get access to his cock, nimble fingers immediately wrapping around the erect length and stroking. Sanghyuk groans loudly, throwing his head back when Jaehwan’s soft lips immediately wrap around the head, wet sucking noises causing his dick to twitch. He looks down to find the brunet smirking around the cock, bobbing his head as his hand continues to stroke the base. 

Soon enough, his boyfriend engulfs the entire length, driving Sanghyuk insane and he loudly moans. “Fuck, fuck, _fuck_!” Sanghyuk groans, hand reaching down to push the brown fringes away from Jaehwan’s forehead. The older male quickly looks up at Sanghyuk, giving a grateful smile in return as he pushes down on the cock, letting the tip hit the back of his throat. Sanghyuk thinks he’s seeing stars, his fingers cradling through Jaehwan’s loose waves. He gingerly pads his fingertips against Jaehwan’s scalp until he loses it; hand gripping at those his brown locks, thrusting his cock deep into the warm, wet cavern, shooting his release down his boyfriend’s throat. 

His grip loosens as he pants, glancing down at Jaehwan and locking eyes with him. Without breaking eye contact with Sanghyuk, the brunet slowly pulls off the dick in his mouth, releasing the head with a pop then very _audibly_ swallows the load in his mouth, wiping his chin with the back of his hand. Sanghyuk blinks, _“I think I’m in love with you_.” 

Jaehwan raises an eyebrow and guffaws, ready to respond with something bratty when someone clears their voice. Sanghyuk’s head immediately snaps to his side, finding a tall, lanky man with long black hair staring at the couple, face scowling, head tilted. Sanghyuk splutters, immediately reaching down to tuck his flaccid penis into his boxers, avoiding the stranger’s glare. 

The brunet gasps from his crouching position, cheeks dusted with pink as he blurts out in a high pitched voice, raspy voice “Taekwoon, I didn’t know you were here!”

_Taekwoon? Ah, his roommate_ , Sanghyuk realizes. He never actually met the man, considering they mostly spend time at Sanghyuk’s apartment, only dropping by Jaehwan’s one to pick the older male up for their dates. Jaehwan doesn't talk much about him, saying he doesn’t know much about Taekwoon and that the quiet man keeps to himself. Still, while Taekwoon might not be someone super important to Jaehwan, Sanghyuk did not want their first meeting to be right as Jaehwan sucks the life out of him and then swallows his come...on the communal couch.

The slender male shrugs, “I was taking a nap.” he simply states, glancing at Sanghyuk then Jaehwan. 

The brunet awkwardly looks between the two males before finally saying “ _Oh_ ,” and standing up, his knees cracking as he does so. Sanghyuk mentally reminds himself to offer the older male a massage later. Jaehwan pulls Sanghyuk up by his hand, grinning as he chirps “Taekwoon, this is Sanghyuk, my boyfriend. Sanghyuk, this is my roommate Taekwoon.”

Sanghyuk gives an awkward smile and wave, “Hey, nice to meet you.”

The brooding male nods, “Likewise.” he turns to Jaehwan, “I’m gonna go run a few errands.” he says, grabbing a brown jacket from the closet as he towards the door, not waiting for a response. 

“Okay! Remember to take an umbrella!” the brunet beams at the other as he walks out the door. 

The taller male blinks at the doorway for a second, turning to his boyfriend, “I don’t think he heard you.” 

Jaehwan shrugs, “Eh, oh well. That's on him. I did the good roomie thing and reminded him!" he smiles at Sanghyuk.

Sanghyuk in turns scoffs, hugging Jaehwan, "Where do you think you get off reminding someone else to grab an umbrella when you _yourself_ forgot to grab one today."

The brunet crinkles his nose, slapping at Sanghyuk. "1.) Fuck you!" he says, "and 2.) hopefully on your _lap_." he winks. Sanghyuk blinks at him in confusion, causing the older male to bust out laughing, tapping the taller male's forehead. "Think about what you just asked me and what I just answered. I think I’m gonna go pour us some wine.” he says, placing a quick peck against Sanghyuk’s lips. “You stay here.” he winks, walking over to the kitchen.

Sanghyuk nods, smacking his boyfriend’s plush ass as the other walks away, relishing in the yelp that follows. The taller male sits down, sighing as he thinks about what Jaehwan just said, muttering to himself "On my lap...what would be be doing on my la- Oh!" he says, slapping himself on his forehead, snickering at the thought of his idiot boyfriend. He sighs once more, glancing around the living room. This is probably the first time he’s actually checking out the decor of the room. He eyes a lamp next to the couch, curiously peering at the tan translucent lampshade. Sanghyuk squints his eyes to see minute specks of brown in one focal area, almost resembling that of freckles against a skin. He stares at it in confusion, then shakes his head. Someone must’ve gotten coffee on there by mistake.

“Wine’s here!” Jaehwan announces arriving with two glasses of red wine, handing one to Sanghyuk as he nuzzles against the taller male’s chest.

Sanghyuk thanks him, placing a peck on his temple. He takes a few sips of wine, glancing over to the lamp next to them. He scoffs, squeezing Jaehwan’s shoulder, “Where did you find this old thing?” 

Jaehwan looks at the lamp and shrugs, “I don’t know. It belongs to Taekwoon.” he muses sipping on his wine. 

The younger male nods at that. He doesn’t know Taekwoon that well, but from their short interaction he feels an odd vibe from the other. He doesn’t think much about it as he finishes the rest of his wine, feeling a bit woozy after that last sip. “Whoa.” he sighs, retracting his arm from around Jaehwan.

The brunet blinks at him, “What happened?” 

Sanghyuk blinks, feeling slightly dizzy as he shakes his head. “Nothing.” he says, turning to see Jaehwan setting his half-filled glass on the table, chuckling as he adds “I think I finished my wine too fast.” He giggles, “I’m gonna head to the restroom real quick.”

He starts to stand almost tilting over causing Jaehwan to stand up with him in concern. “Easy there tiger.” he teases. “Do you need me to walk you there?”

The taller male gasps at his boyfriend in playful outrage, scoffing “What do you take me as? A light-weight? Unhand me and tell me the directions to your restroom, please and thank you!” he shouts animatedly.

Jaehwan laughs, hitting his shoulder, “All right, but if you slip in there, I’m not helping you get back up. First door to your right.” he says, pushing Sanghyuk towards the rooms. 

Sanghyuk snorts, walking into the passageway. He stops in front of the second door on the left, scratching his head. _Did he say the first door on the left? Or the second door on the right?_ “Eh, fuck it.” he says opening the door to find a dark room. He aimlessly searches for the light switch for a second, letting out an _a-ha_ when the room lights up. 

He stares at the room, disappointed, containing only a few tables and cabinets. “Welp, this isn’t the bathroom.” Sanghyuk shrugs, turning to switch the lights off when something catches his eye. There in the corner on top of the table lies something familiar. He can’t exactly place why it’s familiar...but he feels like he knows it. Pursing his lips he moves closer to the table, mind trying to make out what exactly the object his. As he stops right in front of it, he gasps. 

It’s a mask, but not just any mask...it’s a bloody, patchy, grotesque mask. One that resembles the texture of dull skin, with ragged circles for eyes and a mouth...one that he had seen on the CCTV photo on the news...one that the woman had closed up to at the restaurant...one that belonged to Bloody Face. Bloody Face, the serial killer who has claimed at least four victims, all healthy males between their mid-twenties and early-thirties. Bloody Face, the killer donning a brown coat, horrifying mask with...long black hair peeking out from beneath. He widens his eyes and takes a shaky step back with a shuddering breath. 

“Sanghyuk?” comes from the hallway, teasing voice growing louder as Jaehwan walks closer to the room. “What are you doing there, you light-weight? You walked right past the bathroom.” he laughs stepping into the room.

The younger male glances up at his boyfriend in alarm. Jaehwan’s smile drops as he squints his eyebrows in confusion, “Hey, what’s the mat-” he pauses as he glances at the corner and sees the mask, jaw immediately dropping.

Sanghyuk grabs Jaehwan’s shoulder and pulls him towards him, “We need to get out of here, right now.” he demands watching his startled boyfriend nod. 

He pushes Jaehwan towards the door, tripping on his feet and onto his boyfriend’s back. The brunet turns around to grab him, holding him up, “I’ve got you.” he mutters against Sanghyuk’s ear. And then it comes...a sudden sting on his neck. 

Sanghyuk yelps, pulling away from Jaehwan and stumbling to the table next to them. His hand slaps across the aching neck, wide eyes glancing up at a pouting Jaehwan. His gaze moves from his boyfriend’s to the syringe in Jaehwan’s hand. “W-what…” he mumbles as the room turns around him.

Jaehwan sighs, staring at the syringe in his hand, placing it on another table beside him. “I really wish you didn’t come in here.” he says, frowning as he inches closer to Sanghyuk. The taller male splutters, hand still holding the punctured area as the spinning room starts to blur. The brunet stops in front of Sanghyuk, shaking his head in despair, “I really wish you hadn’t found out.”

Sanghyuk widens his eyebrows in bewilderment, his thoughts getting sluggish as he loses balance. Jaehwan sadly smiles at him as he falls to the ground, “I love you Sanghyuk...I really do love you.” he solemnly sighs, crouching down next to the younger male. Sanghyuk gasps, feeling his vision blurring around the periphery, slowly making its way towards the center. He blinks, hoping to get a clearer look of the brunet perched over him, that same woeful grin gracing his face. 

The older male reaches his hand out, brushing his fingertips against Sanghyuk’s cheekbones, shushing him when the younger male groans _“It’s okay,_ ” he whispers, moving closer to Sanghyuk’s face. His lips ghost over Sanghyuk as the younger male’s lids grow heavier. He continues _“it’s okay...I’ll tell Taekwoon to not put you in any pain.”_ he breathlessly says as Sanghyuk falls down, knocked out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all! I hope the pacing is okay on this one. I wanted to get you guys relaxed a little before diving into the darkness lol Idk how many people are actually reading these updates, but even if it's one of you, I hope you enjoy it :) As usual, I've struggled with the title. Inspired by AHS: Asylum.


	10. I have to (Hongbin-centric)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pairing: Hongbin-centric (none)  
> Rating: T  
> Prompt: blood/"I have to"  
> Warnings: minor character death

Hongbin lets out a shaky breath, watching the chaos and destruction around the gym, banners and decorations falling to the ground as the screaming teens run out the room. The blood feels sticky on his face, uncomfortable as his brown hair stuck to his forehead, but Hongbin ignores it. The fire engulfs the stage as he slowly walks down from it, _Prom King_ sash over his shoulder and novelty crown tilted on top of his head, both drenched in the pig’s blood dropped on him from those cruel kids playing a trick on him. The same kids that had bullied him throughout his four years in high school. The same kids that pretended to befriend him, that gave him a makeover, encouraged him to run for Prom King, _helped_ him win...only to humiliate him at the end. 

He impassively walks towards one of the girls from the guilty party, begging Hongbin for mercy, recalling the same nasally voice cackling along with the rest of the school. He looks at her with burning rage, tilting his head to the right and watching her neck snap right away. Without a second thought, he turns towards another tormentor, stuck in his place under a table that fell on him. 

The whimpering jock on the floor cries, “Y-you, you don’t have to do this.” 

  
Hongbin tilts his head, the plastic crown falling off of his head and clattering to the ground. He glances at it for a second, moving his attention back to the pathetic fool. He leans in closer to the sniveling asshole...and smirks. _“I have to.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a rather short one. Idk...but I'd love to see Bin reenact the prom scene from _Carrie_. *shrugs*


	11. The Foolish Vampire Killer (HyuKen)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pairing: Sanghyuk/Jaehwan (HyuKen)  
> Rating: M  
> Prompt: sunset/"that's time we don't have"  
> Warnings: mentions of blood (vampires)

The gates creak loudly as the wind pushes against it, the gothic castle dark and intimidating in the backdrop. Sanghyuk takes one last puff of his cigarette, throwing the bud on the gravel, stomping on the remnant flame. He glances behind him to look at the orange sky surrounding the sunset, taking in a deep breath before pushing through the gates. He knows he has to be quick, consistently going over the directions and floor plans Taekwoon had described to him after escaping from _them_ , before dying in his arms. 

_Third floor, third room right. Move towards the west end and take the smaller stairway._

_Third floor, third room right. Move towards the west end and take the smaller stairway._

_Third floor, third room right. Move towards the west end and take the smaller stairway._

He mutters the directions to himself over and over. There is no room for a single mistake. There is no time for any fuck-ups. 

Sneaking in isn’t the hard part; Sanghyuk knows this and Taekwoon had confirmed it. In fact, _they_ want you to sneak in, _they_ hope that you will. Sanghyuk runs a hand through his chestnut colored bangs and pushes it up as he runs up the spiral staircase outdoors until he reaches the third floor. 

Taking in a breath, his hand reaches into the inside pocket of his black coat, gripping around the wooden stake. The logical part of his brain tells him to run while he can, that he is walking right into a trap. But he can’t...they took Jaehwan. He peeks his head in to find an empty hall, swiftly moving in without letting the weapon go. The tall man walks further into the hallway, senses on high alert, speeding to the third room on the right. 

He presses an ear against the door, not hearing anything, carefully opening the door and peering into the dark room. Sanghyuk moves inside and closes it behind him. He hears a light humming, glancing over to his left to find a closed door, light sneaking out from underneath it.

_Jaehwan_. 

Sanghyuk carefully walks to it, cracking the door open to a bathroom. He finds Jaehwan in a circular tub, surrounded by soapy spuds, illuminated by the dozens of candles lit in the room. The blond is in the middle of lathering his leg with soap, humming as his bored expression tracing the foamy path left behind the bar up his inner thigh, when his eyes catches the taller male in the doorway.

He gasps, crawling to the other and placing his fingers on the end of the tub “Sanghyuk, you’re here?” breathlessly whispering. 

The younger male finally lets go of the stake in his coat, rushing up to the man in the bathtub. “Yes, baby, I’m here!” clasping his hands over the blond’s fingers, releasing a relieved breath. “But we don’t have much time. We have to go now.” he exclaims. 

Jaehwan tilts his head lazily in confusion, doe-eyes blinking back at Sanghyuk. “But I just got in…” he calmly mutters, titling his head to the other side with a pout, “the water’s still _just right_.” His face breaks out in a teasing smirk, fingers reaching out to grasp one of Sanghyuk’s wrist. “Why don’t you come in and join me?” he nearly squeals. “Just for a little bit? Just fifteen, no, ten! Just for ten minutes!” his lips puckering up, “ _Pleeease?”_ he asks. 

Sanghyuk blinks at his lover, a little confused why the older male isn’t jumping up and running with him. Jaehwan should be absolutely terrified of his kidnappers, of the blood sucking monsters that run rampant through this castle; not begging Sanghyuk to join him in a bubble bath. Perhaps his love is in denial; perhaps he doesn’t know exactly how dangerous the situation is. He shakes his head. “No baby...” he says while placing his right hand against Jaehwan’s cheek, the blond gingerly nuzzling in right away “That’s time we don’t have.” he reassuringly conclude.

Jaehwan slowly tilts his head away from the younger male’s palm, understanding frown gracing his face. “ _Okay_.” he whispers.

Sanghyuk nods, immediately grabbing a towel and wrapping it around Jaehwan. He grabs the blouse and pants hung up in the dresser inside the spacious bathroom, swiftly helping Jaehwan get dressed. Once the blond is clothed, Sanghyuk grabs his hand. 

“Come with me.” he says, his other hand reaching back into his jacket pocket, taking a hold of the wooden stake. He opens the bedroom door and looks on either side of the dimly lit hallway, making sure the coast is clear. “Let’s go.” he says, pulling the older male along with him as he goes out. 

_Move towards the west end and take the smaller stairway_ he reminds himself. 

He pushes through a door leading to the claustrophobic spiral staircase. The sun has already set as the darkness of night welcomes them. He begins to run down the steps, clutching onto Jaehwan’s wrist with one hand and the wooden stake with the other. He pauses when he hears hissing and laughter coming from the below them, shadows of monsters appearing against the wall. “Shit! Jaehwan, go up!” he hisses, pushing his lover up the stairs.

The blond nods, running up, pulling Sanghyuk along with him, climbing until they reach the turret of the castle. Sanghyuk holds himself up against the parapet, wheezing in panic as he thinks of what to do next. He looks up at Jaehwan to find the other standing at the other end, staring off into the sky, not a single hair out of place.

“My, doesn’t the moon look absolutely wonderful tonight love?” he asks, voice an airy lilt. 

Sanghyuk moves away from the wall, glancing at the moon then glancing back at the older male. He walks closer to Jaehwan, eyes scrunched in confusion. “Sure it does sweetheart…” he starts, reaching his hand out to brush over the blond locks. “But we need to think about how to get out of here.” 

Jaehwan sighs, leaning into the touch, wrapping his arms around Sanghyuk’s waist as he places his head on the taller male’s shoulder. “I know,” he mutters, “but it looks so pretty.” he says softly, as he noses along the younger male’s jaw. 

Sanghyuk slightly stiffens, his hold around Jaehwan growing firmer. He feels a chaste kiss on his cheek and then on his neck as the blond exhales, _“I’ve missed you so…_ he murmurs, voice getting infinitely quiet towards the end.

  
The sting causes Sanghyuk to cry out in pain, moving away from Jaehwan. He immediately swipes a hand over his neck, panicked eyes widening at the bright crimson on his finger prints. Gasping, he glances up at Jaehwan, the blond slanting his head, eyes curiously widened, pursed lips and chin drenched in dark red. He lethargically walks closer to Sanghyuk in a trance, “ _Oh how I’ve missed you so…”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've taken some inspiration from films _The Fearless Vampire Killers_ and _A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night_ , the first of which I haven't actually seen (just saw clips and read the plot) and the second which I absolutely loved!


	12. Far From It (Neo; Keo)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pairing: Taekwoon/Hakyeon (Neo); Taekwoon/Jaehwan (Keo)  
> Rating: M  
> Prompt: curse/"there must be something we can do"  
> Warning: character death, mentions of blood and gore

_“There must be something we can do!_ ” Taekwoon remembers his beautiful mother screaming, bewildered at the thought of losing her youngest child, or could it have been one of his older sisters, oh his sweet sisters. It’s all a blur to him now, had been a blur to him even then when he was lying on the hospital bed, fighting to take a proper breath, death and sickness surrounding him. Even then his muddled brain wished death would come for him, so he can save his mother from the anguish of seeing him in pain. He was practically a corpse, not any different than all the other dying bodies in the room, all losing a battle to grim reaper disguised as a flu.

_“We’re sorry.”_ the doctor had responded. Taekwoon vaguely remembered hearing the woman cry, for he was in the midst of falling into a dark slumber when the doctor had given his family the bad news. 

The first time they met was later that night. He stood over Taekwoon’s body, the light from the hallway brightly outlined his shape against the darkness of the room, like some kind of halo. He closed up to Taekwoon, running his fingers through the black sweaty hair, moving them back and forth in a tantalizing way _“Oh, you poor thing…”_ he had whispered. 

Taekwoon locked his eyes with the stranger, gasping over the kind eyes, pretty tan skin, gentle smile, shivering through his fever as he asked in a whisper, _“Ar-are you an an-angel?”_

The kind stranger chuckled, his hand moving down to swipe a knuckle over Taekwoon’s cheekbone, a devilish smirk replacing his welcoming grin “Oh I’m _far_ from an angel, my sweets.” 

* * *

Taekwoon pants harshly, wiping away the blood off of his chin with the back of his hand. He still feels the rage coursing through his body as his eyes glare at the torn limbs and bodies in front of him, eyes searching for that someone specific, or rather, _what’s left of him_.

He rummages through the bloody carcasses of hunters and monsters alike, screaming like a mad man. That’s when he sees him a few feet away...lying in a pool of his blood, kind eyes open and staring to the heavens, a gentle smile replaced with bloody parted lips. The front of his shirt is stained with dark red from where the sacred bullet hit his chest. Taekwoon shudders, his vision blurry from the tears forming as he stumbles towards the other. _“No, no, no, no, no, no please…”_ he whispers to himself, picking up the man in front of him, holding him close, so close.

Hakyeon had given him the curse of immortality...then left him to suffer all by himself.

* * *

Taekwoon walks out of the club putting on his coat. It was a chilly October evening and he’d rather not freeze during his walk back to his lonely apartment. A startled scream causes him to stop, eyes drifting towards the alley from which the noise came from. With slow, steadied steps, he walks towards the backstreet. 

He sees a man pushing a boy against the wall before punching his jaw. The boy cries out in pain, tears streaming down his cheeks as he shoves the man, ready to run until a second man grabs him by a fistful of hair. 

_“Please!”_ he hears the boy cry, big brown eyes peering at the offender. The second man yanks the boy by his nape, pulling the groaning boy against his chest. A flash of silver appears against the boy’s neck as the man digs a sharp blade against his skin. 

“I wouldn’t be a feisty little bitch if I were you!” he snarls against the whimpering boy’s ears, grip tightening around the blond locks. 

The first man laughs loudly, moving closer to the boy and roughly grabs him by his chin, “You’re gonna pay for what you did.” he grits through his teeth. 

Taekwoon watches the interaction in front of him, feeling a sense of rage and protectiveness building up in him. He cracks his neck and moves into the alleyway, whistling a tune. The two men pause what they’re doing to glare at Taekwoon as he stops two feet from them.

One of the men sizes him up, growling “Who the fuck are you?”

Taekwoon tilts his head to stare at the shaking boy, turning to the second man. “Let him go.” he demands. 

The man holding the boy scoffs, “You’d leave right now if you know what’s good for you.”

Taekwoon doesn’t respond to the man, rolling his shoulders as he says, “I said, let him go.” 

He sees the two men exchange glances then bursting out in laughter. The first man shakes his head as he closes up to Taekwoon, “You’re gonna regret this fucker!” he snarls at Taekwoon. Within seconds Taekwoon speeds up in front of him and grabs the man’s throat, nail's digging through the man's throat before the windpipe is pulled out with a squelch. The man collapses, choking on his blood. He glances up to find the second staring at him with wide eyes, arms still wound around the terrified boy. 

“Wh-what, what did you just do?!” the second man screams, pushing the blond down on the ground as he walks back, holding his knife out in front of him. Taekwoon closes up to him as the man yells, “Stay back! I will fucking slice you!” continuing to wave the blade in front of him. Taekwoon ignores his words, staring at the man with a blank face as he walks up to him. The man’s hands are shaking as he shouts, “I said stay back fucker!”

Within seconds, Taekwoon moves behind the man’s back and grabs his head, snapping his neck with a crack. The lifeless body falls to the ground with a thud. Taekwoon stares at the man below him, eyes open wide, mouth gaping with fear. He glances to see the bleeding man’s choking has seized, blood pooling out of his throat. His eyes move over to the blond on the floor, shaking as he cries. He walks over the body in front of him..

Crouching down in front of the sniveling boy, his hand extends to brush over the messy blond fringes, shushing the other as he says “Don’t cry, dear. They won’t hurt you anymore.” 

The boy shivers as he looks up at Taekwoon with a desperate look, busted lip breaking out into a hesitant smile. _“Ar-are y-you an an-angel?”_ he stutters.

  
Taekwoon’s hand freezes on the blond’s head. He takes in the broken boy in front of him; glossy brown eyes, the pointed nose of a doll, full plush lips. He finds himself breaking out into a hungry grin, shaking his head as his fingers trail along the boy’s jawline “Oh _my sweets_ ,” he mutters, gently holding the blond’s chin, pulling the whimpering boy closer, _“I’m far from it."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, okay, I know this is the second vampire!au I've written in a row(third in this collection) but I'm sorry! I really wanted to write the phrase "curse of immortality" and the vampire concept just fits! I know this is short but hopefully not too rushed or confusing. Thanks for reading!


	13. It carries with the wind (KenBin)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pairing: Hongbin/Jaehwan (KenBin)  
> Rating: T  
> Prompt: knife/"are we safe here?"  
> Warning: none

Putting up a tent is absolutely exhausting, especially knowing that it will just be taken down later anyways. Jaehwan quirks his lips, blowing out air that hits his black fringes. He looks around them, taking in how high the trees are, birds still chirping, bugs still flying around. He crinkles his nose, turning to Hongbin “Are we safe here?”

The brunet pauses what he’s doing, rope in one hand, knife in the other. He blinks at his boyfriend “What?”

The older male sighs, “Some bear or wolf isn’t about to attack us right? Or we’re not about to get stabbed to death with your own knife by some serial killer, right?!” Jaehwan yelps loudly, eyes widening and looking around in panic, a bit annoyed at himself that he started off complaining to be bratty but ended up actually scaring himself.

Hongbin scoffs, putting his supplies down and dusting off his hands, “You’re an idiot,” he says, walking up to Jaehwan and wrapping his arms around the older male, “but you’re my idiot and I won’t let anything happen to you.” He says placing a peck on the other’s lips.

Jaehwan blinks up at him, corner of his eyes scrunching up as he coos, “Aww, _Bin!_ I didn’t realize you were such a _romantic~_ ” he teases, throwing the back of his hand against his forehead. 

The younger male cringes, immediately letting him go “Oh my god, Jaehwan, forget it!” he shouts, moving towards the tent Jaehwan _clearly_ has not fixed as he mutters, “I’ll throw you at them while I escape.” 

Sighing, Jaehwan continues with an airy 50's accent “Why, I didn’t know I had such a _strong, protective man_ to take care of me.” He tilts his head back, as if he's a damsel in distress absolutely _swooned_ by his boyfriend. Hongbin throws a rope at him.

* * *

Jaehwan shivers as he huddles closer to Hongbin in their sleeping bags, scowling as he grumbles, “Okay we could’ve easily made smores in our apartment; I don’t see why we had to come out to the middle of the woods to do it.” 

Scoffing, the younger male flicks his boyfriend’s head, “We get to experience the great outdoors! Be one with nature! Shit like that.” 

“Be one with nature my ass.” Jaehwan mutters under his breath. 

The brunet raises an eyebrow then bursts out laughing. Jaehwan’s jaw drops and he huffs in offense, ignoring Hongbin as the brunet hovers over him, grabby hand reaching down to give his plush bottom a squeeze. Hongbin places a placating kiss on his lips when he yelps, hand moving up to caress his face, mumbling against his lips “I love your ass...what would I do without you?” 

Jaehwan gives an impassive look, “Well I guess more fucking camping.” he deadpans.

"Yeah? Well I'd like to put my tent up your ass." he mutters, shutting Jaehwan's groans of displeasure up with a kiss. Hongbin nips at the tip of Jaehwan’s nose causing his boyfriend to squawk. He places a kiss on the black haired man’s soft cheek, moving close to his ear and whispering, “How about we do some _fucking_ while _camping_?” breaking into giggles when he hears Jaehwan gasp at the scandalous proposition.

A sudden shriek from outside causes both of them to still. Hongbin moves up to stare at Jaehwan in alarm, the older male glancing back up with bulging eyes. It’s quiet, with the only sounds being of the crickets outside. Another ten seconds pass when a blood-curdling scream echoes through the forest.

The brunet immediately reaches over and grabs the knife out of his backpack, wrapping his arm protectively around Jaehwan, pulling his boyfriend closer to him under their sleeping bag as he looks at the door of the tent. Soon after another pained howl is heard followed by wails of _“Help me! Help me, please!”_ Jaehwan almost shrieks, with Hongbin’s hand moving to press against Jaehwan’s mouth. He peers into Jaehwan’s widened eyes with his own, shaking his head ‘no’ to his boyfriend. The agonized cries continue, as the voice yells _“Please someone save me, please!”_

Shakily, Jaehwan peers towards the door of the tent, turning back to Hongbin to mouth, “Should we help them?”

Another scream pierces in the distance. _“Jaehwan!”_ the voice says, “ _Jaehwan, please help me!”_ it shouts. 

The older male looks at Hongbin with trembling lips, whispering _“H-how do they know my name?”_

Hongbin stares at Jaehwan with puzzlement, gulping when the voice cries _“Hongbin! Hongbin it hurts Hongbin! Please, please save me!”_

The younger male shivers, pulling Jaehwan closer stuttering back, _“I-i...I don’t think they’re real.”_ pushing his forehead against Jaehwan’s head, as the voice calls out Jaehwan’s name once more. Hongbin shudders as he whispers _“I think...they’re just trying to lure us out…”_

Jaehwan whimpers, tears brimming in his eyes, _“Hongbin, are we going to die?”_ he asks.

Hongbin shakes his head, taking in a stuttering breath. His eyes drift to the closed entrance of the tent as the screams continue to echo, swallowing the lump in his throat. He looks into Jaehwan’s eyes and says _“No,”_ flinching the voice screams out his name again _“we just have to make it through the night.”_

* * *

The horrifying cries don’t stop until the sun starts to rise, growing fainter as the sky slowly brightens up. Only then do they let go of each other, hesitantly opening their tents when all they hear are the chirping of birds. Hongbin clutches his knife tightly as he peers out, nodding to Jaehwan when he sees no one is there. The pair quickly get dressed and begin to gather their supplies. They break down their tent hurriedly, glancing at each other with worry every so often. Grabbing their stuff, they quickly start to walk towards the direction they came into the forest. 

Jaehwan stops dead in his tracks and gasps, eyes widening as his heart almost leaps out of his chest _“Hongbin…”_ he says. 

Hongbin takes in a sharp breath, trying to fight away the shiver he feels crawling up his spine.

There in front of them is a bundle of sticks laid out in a humanoid form...a bloody cloth and teeth on top of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by _The Blair Witch Project_. Hope you all enjoy!


	14. Eyes are the window to the soul (ChaSang)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pairing: Hakyeon/Sanghyuk (ChaSang- brothers)  
> Rating: T  
> Prompt: soul  
> Warning: character death

Hakyeon aimlessly looks down at his younger brother: lifeless eyes barely open, lips slightly parted, red gash on his neck. He moves away some of Sanghyuk’s black hair from his forehead. The older man cradles Sanghyuk’s head, the younger boy’s body draped over Hakyeon’s leg. 

He notices them whispering a few feet away, seeing Wonshik walks up to him from his periphery. Wonshik crouches down next to Hakyeon and sighs, putting a reassuring hand on his shoulder. Hakyeon knows what he is about to say.

“Hey,” he starts off, “look I get it...he’s your kid brother and you loved him. We all loved him.” Wonshik pauses, licking his lips and contemplating on what to say next. “But I think it’s time...you let him go.”

The older male’s eye twitches at that. He doesn’t respond, choosing to caress Sanghyuk’s face instead.

Wonshik stays squated next to Hakyeon for another second, watching the older male intently. He sighs once more, “Hakyeon, we don’t know how much time we have.”

Hakyeon’s gaze doesn’t linger from Sanghyuk’s face. _Is he smiling_ he muses to himself. He swallows before whispering, “I’m waiting.” 

The younger male shakes his head in exasperation, “Look, if it’s too tough for you, I’ll take the load. I’ll do it.” 

He reaches to pull the knife out of his boot when Hakyeon glares at him, eyes filled with rage. “I said, I’m waiting!” he yells in a commanding voice. 

Wonshik immediately stills and moves his hand away from his knife. He puts his hands up in defeat, “Okay, okay. Just...just be careful...please.” He says. Hakyeon looks into Wonshik’s eyes, softening his glare and nodding. The younger male nods back, stands back up and walks back to the others.

Hakyeon watches Wonshik’s retreating back for a second, moving his attention back to his brother. _His sweet baby brother_. The one he loved and cared for so dearly. He runs his hand through Sanghyuk’s hair, feeling numb. He leans down to place a kiss on his brother’s forehead, freezing when he hears an intake. Swallowing the lump in his throat, Hakyeon slowly moves his face down and places his ear over Sanghyuk’s mouth, feeling warm puffs of breath against his skin. Hakyeon takes in a deep breath and moves away.

Within a brief second, he sees the muscle over the younger male’s cheekbone twitch and then another twitch near his jaw. Soon enough Hakyeon sees Sanghyuk slowly open his bloodshot eyes, brown irises now a cloudy grey sparkling against the sunlight. He sees the younger male’s gaze moving, looking around as if he is searching for something. Those brown eyes finally land on Hakyeon, pausing as if to peer into Hakyeon’s own soul. The older male bites his lips, staring back into Sanghyuk's eyes, hoping to find something, anything, that is left of his Sanghyuk. He sighs, a broken smile on his face. “Hey kid.” he starts saying

Sanghyuk lets out a loud garbled exhale as his fingers twitch and flex, eyes fixed on Hakyeon’s face. The older male sighs, “You always made it a point to never listen to me, to stress me the fuck out,” he chuckles, ignoring the hand slowly reaching for him, “but at the end you were always there for me.” Sanghyuk’s fingers reach out for Hakyeon’s forehead, his dead grey eyes still staring at his brother. “You were there to care for me,” Hakyeon says, tenderly moving his brother’s hand down, Sanghyuk’s gaze following his fingers, “always acted protective of me,” the younger male’s hand reaches up again to grasp at Hakyeon brown strands, Sanghyuk slowly moving to sit up, exhales turning to hisses. Hakyeon smiles, tears brimming in his eyes, “and I will always love you.” Sanghyuk growls, eyes locked on Hakyeon, mouth open with bared teeth, attempting to move closer. 

Hakyeon takes a shaky breath, “I’m sorry.” he says as he drives the knife through his brother’s temple.

  
Sanghyuk’s hand drops, lips still parted, eyes still. _“I’m sorry.”_ Hakyeon whispers, placing a kiss on his brother’s forehead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by TWD. Towards the end, I found myself tearing up and then I had to remind myself "girl, this is a work of fiction based on another work of fiction, calm down, it's not even that sad." Anyways, I hope you all enjoy this!


	15. Must be a kind of blind love (KenVi; Neo; Keo)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pairing: Wonshik/Jaehwan (KenVi); Hakyeon/Taekwoon (Neo); Jaehwan/Taekwoon)  
> Rating: G  
> Prompt: Magic/"deep down you want this as much as I do"  
> Warning: none

The engagement party is a lively affair, full with a fondue station, table full of presents, a printed out banner of the happy couple. Wonshik grabs another flute of champagne from the server passing by, gulping down half of it right away, smiling at a person walking by, immediately going back to his straight face as soon as he’s alone. His eyes watch the happy couple from afar: Jaehwan animatedly telling a story to the person in front of him, Taekwoon’s usual impassive face graced with a loving grin, his attention completely on Jaehwan. 

Wonshik finishes the rest of his champagne, already scanning the room for his next glass. 

“Friend of the groom?” a voice startles Wonshik. 

The composer turns to find a pretty man sipping champagne himself sporting short black hair, high cheekbones, and smooth, unblemished skin. Wonshik blinks, looking at the couple then back at the stranger. “Which one?” he asks dumbly, then chastising himself because _technically_ , he’s friends with both of them.

The stranger raises an eyebrow, finishing his drink then smiling. “Ah, you’re right, I should’ve clarified.” he says, placing his glass down, pursing his lips and looking back up at Wonshik. “Jaehwan’s friend?” he asks.

Wonshik nods, grabbing another flute of champagne from a server’s tray, averting the stranger’s eyes. “Yeah. I mean, technically I’m both of their friends.” he pauses, licking his lips. “I’m the one that introduced them, actually.” he says with a hesitant smile. The man in front of him raises an eyebrow and nods. Wonshik turns to him. “What about you? Which one are you friends with?” he asks.

The man turns to Wonshik with a lopsided grin, “Taekwoon.” Makes sense, since Wonshik never saw this man with Jaehwan before. The stranger adds, “...I’m actually his ex.” Wonshik chokes on his drink, the stranger laughing loudly. He passes a napkin to the composer, Wonshik gratefully taking it and muttering a quick thanks. Extending a hand, the man says, “Hakyeon.” 

Wonshik shakes Hakyeon’s hand, “Wonshik.” he responds curtly. 

He sees a hint of recognition in Hakyeon’s eyes, the other breaking out into a cheshire grin. “Ah, yes, Wonshik, the child-hood friend and best man, right?” he asks. 

Wonshik winces, nodding as he runs a hand over his black slicked back hair, bitterly gritting his teeth, “The very one.” 

Hakyeon flashes a grin, glancing at the fancy couple. Jaehwan must’ve cracked a joke because Taekwoon is hiding his face in the crook of his best friend’s neck, shoulders shaking as he laughs, Jaehwan’s eyes crinkling in content as he pets his fiance’s shoulder. Wonshik feels bile rising in his throat. 

“So, how long?” he hears besides him. 

He turns to Hakyeon in confusion. “Uh, well they’ve dated for a year I think and then Taek proposed five months ago.” he answers, no emotions in his voice. Wonshik remembers when Jaehwan facetimed him to break the news, practically shrieking in excitement as he showed off his ring. He had drunk until he blacked out that night because only then did his heart stop hurting. He chastised himself for introducing them, for not just agreeing to produce the music for Jaehwan’s webtoon, for not making room in his schedule and instead giving the project to Taekwoon. If hell was a moment for Wonshik, it would have been living the moment he introduced them over and over, seeing how the animator was immediately smitten by the taller male, seeing his best friend fall in love at first sight.

Wonshik finishes his glass, hearing Hakyeon tut, “No, I meant how long have you loved him?”

The composer snaps his head over to Hakyeon. “What?!”

Hakyeon raises an eyebrow back at him, “I asked how long have you loved him?” giving Wonshik a pointed look, not bothering to wait for a response. “To be honest, if it’s a secret, you’re not doing a very good job of hiding it. It’s written all over your face, your demeanor. I could tell the moment I saw you.”

Wonshik’s jaw hardens as he looks away, scoffing to himself. His eyes land on Jaehwan again, the brunet talking to someone by himself right now, pretty brown eyes widened, pink lips jutting out in the cutest way. He sighs to himself, “Four years.” he mutters out.

He feels a comforting hand on his shoulder, “That’s tough.” he hears Hakyeon say, “I’m sorry. Unrequited love is the worst pain.” the stranger adds. Wonshik pats the hand over his shoulder in acknowledgment, eyes glued to the floor. The pretty man exhales, “I should know.” he quietly mutters. Wonshik scrunches his eyebrows together and glances up at Taekwoon’s ex, the other male shrugging with a hurting chuckle, “Let’s just say...Taekwoon is the one who got away for me.” he bitterly admits. 

A feeling of sympathy rushes over Wonshik after he hears those words. Watching his best friend falling in love with and marrying someone else is painful enough, but he can’t even imagine having Jaehwan _and then_ losing him. “Wow,” he responds with a consoling frown, “I’m sorry man.”

He sees Hakyeon shrug, a sour grimace adorning his mouth, “Yeah, sucks for both of us I guess.” he laughs dryly then sighs, “Maybe in some other life”. Wonshik moves his gaze towards the couple’s banner, miserably gawking at the smiling couple staring into each other’s eyes while sitting on a park bench. Hakyeon clears his throat beside him, “But...Wonshik,” he starts off, “what if I told you...that there is a way for that to happen _in this life_.” 

Wonshik snaps his head towards Hakyeon, astonishment clear in his face. The stranger, however, is staring at Wonshik expectedly. The composer’s eye flit over to Jaehwan and Taekwoon before he sneers at Hakyeon, “What the are you talking about?”

Hakyeon tilts his head, “Let’s just say that there is a way...to have Jaehwan all for yourself.”

For a fleeting moment, Wonshik’s heart leaps, anticipation buzzing through his veins, until he remembers that there is _no way_ Lee Jaehwan will be his. Ever. “Are you out of your _fuckin_ mind?” he hisses to the other male. 

“You’d do it, wouldn’t you? You'd take that chance.” Hakyeon challenges, ignoring Wonshik’s bewilderment. “You’d do anything to make that happen.” 

Wonshik barks out a sour laugh, scoffing at the other male, “Hakyeon, look at where we are; we're attending their fucking engagement party. They're wedding is in two weeks. It’s over. It’s too late. Jaehwan and Taekwoon are getting married.”

Shaking his head, Hakyeon quickly moves closer to Wonshik imploring “No, no. There's still a way.”

“A way?”

“Yes.”

“What way?”

“One that leads to a foolproof solution, a flawless outcome.”

“And how would we get that?”

“Through magic.” Hakyeon answers.

Wonshik’s eyebrows shoot up his forehead as he guffaws so loud that he catched Jaehwan peering at him curiously from across the room. He raises his empty champagne glass to Jaehwan with a forced smile, his best friend raising one back in return with a boxy grin. He turns to the man he nearly met a half hour ago to find Hakyeon with an unwavering expression. He scoffs, “How the hell is magic gonna help us with this.” he mocks, shaking his head.

“I know a person.” Hakyeon replies in a serious tone. “She’s a witch, a good one at that.” He alleges to Wonshik, ignoring Wonshik's taunting scoffs, "She can break them up; make them fall out of love completely. She'll help them realize that they're in love with us, that its was _always_ us. I've seen her magic. I know it works. He rambles to Wonshik, a determined gaze piercing through his soul. A deranged smile graces his face, as he coaxes the composer “Come on Wonshik, deep down you want this as much as I do.”

The composer is looking towards the crowd, closing his eyes as he exhales, stiffening his jaw as he grits out, “I just want Jaehwan to be happy.”

“ _And_ he will be happy, you will make him happy Wonshik.” Hakyeon implores, a hand placed gently over Wonshik’s shoulder. “I could see you spending every moment of your day, every minute of your night loving Jaehwan, doing whatever it takes so he lives a satisfied, blissful, _happy_ life.” Wonshik inhales sharply. Hakyeon moves his hand away from the shoulder, emphasizing “Do you think there is anyone else that could _possibly_ love him more than you?” he points towards Wonshik’s chest as he stares at Wonshik’s face. He sees Hakyeon’s hand dropping to his side as he shakes his head. “Do you think _you_ could possibly ever, _ever_ love someone else?”

  
Wonshik swallows the lump in his throat, finally turning towards Hakyeon. The other man stares at him expectantly, not a trace of a smile or joke on his face. Glancing back at Jaehwan, he finds Taekwoon muttering something in his best friend’s year, the brunet letting out the dorky chortle Wonshik has adored for years, shoulders shaking in delight, pretty eyes crinkling in the corner. Despite himself, he finds himself painfully smiling. _“_ _What do I have to do?”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Initially I was going to make this longer and take this in a _slightly_ different direction, however as I stopped where I did...I realized I think I like it as it is. We'll see. Title is inspired by "I only have eyes for you" by The Flamingos. Thanks for reading!


	16. Love me tender, Love me sweet (HyuKen)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pairing: Jaehwan/Sanghyuk (HyuKen)  
> Rating: M  
> Prompt: lover/ "this isn't who you are"  
> Warning: mild gore, possible character death

Jaehwan trembles as he hides in the dumbwaiter, pressing his palm over his mouth, not daring to make even a peep until the footsteps move away. He grimaces over his shirt sticking on his back, drying blood from the gash on his skin. He gives himself another second, wiping away the sweat and blood from his forehead, collecting his nerves before slowly opening the door of the dumbwaiter. He peeks out of the compact elevator to make sure the coast is clear before stepping out, landing on Sanghyuk’s ratty old chuck’s. Jaehwan frowns at the shoes which are a size and a half too big. His fiance still insisted on him changing out of his thick Balenciagas and into these so he won’t make too much noise. 

He’s pissed off at the fact that he even ended up in the position. Why couldn’t his fiance tell him about all of this _before_ he said yes to that idiot? Well, now that he thinks about it, technically he had actaully _begged_ Sanghyuk to marry him, multiple times at that, doing everything from a fancy romantic proposal to randomly while television at night. Sanghyuk had said _no_ each time with a sad smile, never giving a direct answer why, always looking away and avoiding eye contact, until finally, two months ago he had agreed. 

In some ways, Jaehwan feels like he brought this on himself. On the other hand, all of this could have been prevented if Sanghyuk was honest to him. He should’ve told Jaehwan that his family is not like any other rich family with a board game empire, but that they had gained their good fortunes after his great-great-grandfather made a pact with a strange-man who might have been the devil. 

There’s no time to fret over that right now. Still, he thinks about what would’ve happened if he decided to be with Wonshik instead? He might've fallen out of love with his ex, but at least he wouldn’t have been joining into a family actively participating in human sacrifice.

* * *

_Four hours ago_

The mansion’s wide door opens to an extravagant foyer, decorated with antiques and portraits. Jaehwan gawks around him with his eyes open, taking in the gaudy chandeliers lighting up the long hallway covered by ostentatious wallpaper. Sanghyuk hadn’t talked much about his family before, but he had mentioned in passing that they’re ‘well off…’ but Jaehwan hadn’t realized that they were _loaded._ After all, this is the first time he was even meeting Sanghyuk’s family, nevertheless visiting his childhood home. To think they’ll be tying the knot tomorrow in this very mansion? Wild.

“You should close your mouth before you tempt a bug to fly in, love.” his fiance whispers to him in a teasing lilt, trying not to smirk as he leads Jaehwan forward with a possessive hand on his lower back.

Jaehwan scrunches his eyebrows through his light brown hair, scoffing then purring back “Or maybe before I tempt _your cock, sweet lover_ _._ ” He laughs seeing his fiance’s flustered face, only yelping when Sanghyuk pinches his ass right before they enter the music room. 

“Are you okay _sweetheart_?” he asks in a caring tone, fighting the urge to sport a shit-eating grin. Jaehwan huffs, _god_ he loves this man.

* * *

Jaehwan squirms in his seat, trying to ignore the glare his fiance’s aunt is giving him. He hasn’t been able to pin why exactly the older woman leered at him all day, but a part of him is thinking it might be for the fact that Sanghyuk had brought home a _guy_ and not a girl. His lover had brushed that idea off, talking about how his aunt doesn’t like anyone, especially after her engagement ended tragically years ago. “It’s complicated.” was all Sanghyuk had said.

Sanghyuk’s father, and Jaehwan’s soon-to-be father-in-law, stands in front of the round table they are all sitting at. The fire crackles in the back and the lights are dimmed in the _huge_ music room containing a grand piano, fancy record player, wall full of records on one side and decorated with other antique hunting gears, deer heads, and a life-sized stuffed bear. Mr. Han clears his throat and raises a glass. “Jaehwan, do you like to play games?” 

The brunet scrunches his eyebrows in confusion, glancing over to his quiet fiance as he chuckles nervously. “Uh, I mean I guess it depends on what we’re playing, but sure.”

His future father-in-law chuckles along with him, “As long as you enjoy them.” He pauses, glancing at the portrait of a man in the center of the room, turning to Jaehwan, “You may have noticed by now...our family is pretty big on tradition.” Jaehwan nods, mildly aware of this. It’s probably one of the only reasons they’re having their wedding here, Sanghyuk’s parents absolutely _insisted_ they do. The man purses his lips and continues, “Well, let me start off with a story first. Years ago, my great-grandfather owned a printing store, where he would manufacture and sell playing cards. You see, even though he owned the store, he was still a bit down on his luck, barely making ends-meet. One day, a foriegn man who went by the name of Mr. Le Bail decided to drop by my great-grandfather’s humble store. He saw the potential in the old chap and decided to become a benefactor...if my great-grandfather could solve this puzzle,” he pulls out a wooden box, smirking to himself with a chuckle, “and well...let’s just say the Han Family Games would not be what it is today, if it weren’t for the generous investment made by Mr. Le Bail. It is for that reason, to honor him, that we play a game with anyone who would like to join our family.” 

Jaehwan blinks owlishly at the older man. “A game? What kind?” he asks curiously.

Sanghyuk’s father shrugs, “Let's just say...Mr. Le Bail will decide what game is to be played.” He pulls out a blank card, placing it inside of the box. “I'll place an empty card inside the box, and the game we'll play with out new inductee will be written on it when pulled out.”

Sanghyuk’s sister-in-law smiles over at Jaehwan, “I ended up with chess.”

His brother-in-law scoffs, “I got something called Old Maid. I had never even heard of it.”

“Enough!” the aunt shouts, shutting everyone up as Jaehwan glances over at Sanghyuk with alarm. Sanghyuk’s gaze is lowered to the table. 

Mr. Han clears his throat once more, passing the wooden box to his wife, the box being passed until it reaches Jaehwan. He holds the wooden box, rubbing over the intricate details with his fingertip. Glance up, he asks, “And I just take the card out?”

His would-be mother-in-law nodded, “Yes my dear.”

Jaehwan nods with a shy smile. He opens the box and takes out the card, flipping it over. 

_Hide & Seek _

The brunet giggles to himself reading the text. 

“What does it say, boy?” the aunt demands.

From the corner of his eyes, he sees Sanghyuk peering at him curiously. Jaehwan turns the card around so everyone else can see the text. “Hide and seek.” he snickers, “Will we really be playing that?”

The room is terribly silent, the smile in everyone’s face having melted off. Jaehwan’s own grin drops as he cautiously looks towards Sanghyuk only to find his fiance sporting a defeated face, gulping.

“Uh…” Sanghyuk’s mother starts off, glancing over to her husband.

Mr. Han nods, breaking out into a slightly forced smile, “Yes, yes. Those are the rules after all.” he says with a chuckle. 

Jaehwan gives a hesitant smile back, “So...who hides and who seeks?” 

Mrs. Han gives a saccharine sweet smile “Oh sweetheart, it’s your initiation. You get to hide.”

The brunet grins back, giving a confused look at his sulking lover. Mrs. Han raises her glass of champagne, everyone else following suit, standing up. Sanghyuk moves over to place a kiss on Jaehwan’s cheek, whispering rushingly against his ears, “Meet me in my room in fifteen.” pulling away.

Mr. Han comes up to him, moving his sleeves up to his forearms “You can hide anywhere in the house. We’ll count up to one hundred and then come find you.” 

The brunet nods, cracking a teasing smile as his eyes spot a security camera in the corner “But won't you got have an advantage with those things?"

The older man shakes his head, grinning as he reassures, "Oh no, we never use those for these. We try to keep up with how things would've been during my great-great grandfather's time. The cameras will be shut off."

Jaehwan gives a please smile, raising an eyebrow to his future father-in-law, "There’s no way for me to win, right?”

His soon-to-be father-in-law shrugs, chuckling, “I mean...you can just stay hidden till dawn.” 

Jaehwan widens his eyes, giggling back, “I don’t think I’d want that.”

* * *

He giggles to himself as he hides in Sanghyuk’s childhood bed, snickering delightfully when his fiance comes out of a door. His fiance had told him it led to the servant’s corridor, running throughout the entire mansion. He shuts the door quietly, scrambling to Jaehwan and frantically mumbling _“ Shh, we can’t make a single sound!”_ He stares at the door with an alarmed look when he hears footsteps. He grabs Jaehwan and pulls him down behind the bed, shushing him. A maid drifts into the room, humming to herself wiping the furniture around the room. Jaehwan tries to stifle a giggle, amused that they’re hiding like two school children in a game of hide and seek the night before their wedding. 

Sanghyuk shoots Jaehwan a glare through the mirror. They hear Sanghyuk’s sister yell in the distance, _“I found him! I found him!”_

Soon after, a wild bang can be heard and the maid’s head is blown off, the maid landing in a bloody gurgling thud right away. Sanghyuk places a large hand over Jaehwan’s mouth, the brunet’s eyes widened with fear, jaw dropped.

_“You shot the fucking maid!”_ Mr. Han yells coming into the room. _“Does she look like a 5’11” pretty boy to you?!”_

_“We have to move her body before Jaewhan sees.”_ his soon-to-be mother-in-law calmly states. Jaehwan's heart drops at the mention of his name.

_“Well...won’t she count? Does it have to be Jaehwan?”_ Sanghyuk’s brother asks.

Jaehwan glances at Sanghyuk through the mirror, shaking through tears. 

_“No! It must be the groom. You think if the fucking maid worked, then I would have killed my fiance?!"_ the aunt shouts. 

Sanghyuk waits for his family to get out of his room with the maid’s body. He leaves Jaehwan’s shivering form on the floor, quietly closing the door then rushing back to the brunet.

“Jaehwa-”

“Wh-what the fuck was _that_?!” Jaehwan demands right away. 

“I know, I know, babe-” Sanghyuk gets cut off while trying to calm his fiance down.

“Sanghyuk, _what the fuck?! What the actual fuck!_ ” Jaehwan shouts, panic setting in.

The taller male sighs in exasperation, running his hand through his jet black hair, lightly holding a shaking Jaehwan by his shoulder, “Okay baby, listen to me: you need to get out of here. You...you pulled the one bad card.”

Jaehwan snivels, “W-what?”

“Look, they think they need to kill you before sunrise or else we’re all going to die.” he says while grabbing a pair of shoes and pulling Jaehwan’s sneakers off. “Here, put these on, your shoes are gonna be too loud.” he mutters. “Don’t worry, I’m gonna get you out of here.” he says while pulling Jaehwan up and ushering him towards the door leading to the secret corridor.

Jaehwan whines as he's dragged in, pulling his arm away from Sanghyuk to demand “Why didn’t you tell me this? You knew what was going to happen if I pulled that card. Why’d you let me pull the card?!”

Sanghyuk rubs his face, pushing Jaehwan further into the hallway. “Baby I know, I’m sorry, I’m sorry. But I had to! If I didn’t,” he sighs, “if I didn’t then we all would’ve died. It happened to one of my great uncles who didn’t and another cousin of mine...random people I’ve never even heard of.” He stops scrunching his eyebrows, glancing back up at Jaehwan with sad eyes, “And if I told you...you would’ve left me. If I didn’t agree to getting married...you would’ve left me. Either way, I would've lost you." he sighs, "At least this way...I-I was hoping that you just wouldn’t pick…” he stops.

Jaehwan gawks at Sanghyuk speechlessly. It is true: he did want to get married, but he _wouldn’t_ have if he knew he would potentially be hunted down before he does. But also, truthfully...he doesn’t know what he would have done if Sanghyuk _did_ tell him. He loves the man with his heart; he can’t see himself living without Sanghyuk. Jaehwan shakes his head, whispering “W-we could’ve eloped or-”

“No, we _have_ to get married here and we _have_ to draw a card.” Sanghyuk says, cutting Jaehwan off. He clears his throat, quietly moving down to tie the shoelaces of one of the converses on Jaehwan's feet. “We have to play the game.” he states in a quiet voice. “Those are the fucking rule Mr. Le Bail set.” he grits out. He gets back up to get eye-level with Jaehwan, taking the brunet’s cheeks into his hand, “Jaehwan I love you. I just love you so much...I couldn’t bear losing you. I’m so sorry.” he whispers, “But I’m gonna get you out of here! All of the windows and doors are locked, so I’m gonna go into the security room and turn them on. I need you to get to the kitche-”

The shorter male frantically shakes his head, shouting “Nonono, Sanghyuk, don’t leave me by myself, _do not leave me alone_!”

Sanghyuk shushes him, “Look, I need to go to the security room! But the second anyone notices the locks are off and the camera is back on, they’ll run up there to find me. If you’re with me, then…this way you have a head start! You’re gonna need to go to the kitchen! You hear me? Run through this hallway and make a right. You got it? Make a right.”

Jaehwan nods through his sniffles, “Make a right, I-I got it.”

“Good.” is all Sanghyuk says. He gives the brunet one more kiss as he runs towards the other direction.

Whimpering, Jaehwan looks towards the cold darkened hallway, heart pounding against his rib cage. He feels a pull from his right and almost screams, before he realizes his shirt has just gotten caught on a loose nail, tearing through the fabric. Pulling the shirt off, he walks further into the hallway, stopping when he finds a door to his left and to his right, confusedly staring at both, trying to recall which one Sanghyuk had told him would lead him to the kitchen. With a shaky hand, he opens the one to his left.

Right as he opens the door, he’s face to face with Sanghyuk’s sister-in-law. The woman stares at with a shocked expression clutching the dagger in her hand, Jaehwan letting out a shaky breath, freezing “H-hey, look, you don’t have to say anything. I-I’m just gonna go- _ahh_!” he screams in agony, a sharp pain on his flank from where the dagger glides through him. 

Jaehwan turns around ready to run while he hears the woman shrieking, “He’s here! He’s here! I just stabbed him!” she yells. He feels the dagger cut through his back again, yelping as he falls to the floor. “I just stabbed him again!” the sister-in-law shouts. Jaehwan cries out in anguish, hearing faint footsteps as Mr. Han yells _“For god’s sake, just mame him, don’t kill him! He needs to be alive for the ceremony!”_ He rushes to get up when the footsteps close up, feeling someone grab his hair as he elbows them and runs. 

* * *

_Present time_

The brunet limps into the hallway, forcing down the groan in his parched throat yearning for a sip of water. He had been running and hiding, running and hiding, running and hiding; facing a few close calls from others who have shot at him, who have reached for him, who have stabbed him; for several hours and his limbs ache, his lungs burn, his mind muddles. An arrow whooshes through his shoulder and hits the painting across from him. 

Jaehwan turns around with widened eyes to find Sanhyuk’s mother staring back at him with an impassive face. “In my defense, it has been a real long time.” She says while shooting another arrow at Jaehwan, this time hitting his leg. Jaehwan falls over to the ground, moaning in pain as she walks over, sighing. “Look sweetheart, I like you, I really do. You are probably my favorite of all the people my children have brought over...” She crouches down, staring at Jaehwan with disinterest then yanks on a lock of his hair, “but I _will not_ let you kill my family.” she growls, yelling out. “He’s in here!”

With all of his strength, Jaehwan closes his eyes and punches Sanghyuk’s mother, rushing away when she falls to the ground. He shakily gets up, pulling the arrow out with a scream and turns to run, only to find Sanghyuk’s brother. The other male grapples to grab him, Jaehwan driving the arrow right through his throat, collapsing on the floor, choking through blood. _“You little shit!”_ he hears a snarl from his back, finding his would’ve-been mother-in-law snarling at him. She barges up towards him to attack, grabbing a loose arrow to stab him. 

He grabs her arm, trying to push her back. He successfully pulls the arrow out of her grasp and stabs her in the chest, driving in right through the center, letting her fall to the ground.

_“Jaehwan?”_ he suddenly hears, finding Sanghyuk standing at the end of the hall, staring at him. He sees his fiance stares down to find the blood corpses of his mother and brother, bewildered gaze staring back up at the brunet. Jaehwan lets out a shaky breath, wincing from the jolting pain from his thigh. Sanghyuk slowly approaches Jaehwan as if he were a frightened animal, coaxing him in for a hug. “Shh, it’s okay, I’ve got you. I’ve got you.” Sanghyuk whispers against his ear, pulling back to look at Jaehwan.

Large hands move up to take Jaehwan’s blood-stained cheeks into his hand, fingertip brushing against his quivering bottom lip. Sanghyuk bores his eyes into Jaehwan’s wet ones, his own tearing up, “Y-you’re,” he starts, biting his lips, “ _you’re gonna leave aren’t you?_ ” he asks. Jaehwan doesn’t respond, his body still shaking. Sanghyuk takes a sharp inhale, letting out a dry chuckle, “There's no _way_ you’re gonna stay...right?” 

The brunet tilts his head, a sob breaking through his chest. He feels his lover’s hold against his cheeks getting tighter and tighter. 

“Sa-sanghyuk, you’re hurting me.” He whimpers out, trying to pull his head away from Sanghyuk’s grasp.

The taller male stares at him with sad eyes, whispering back “I got you...I got you,” his hold causing Jaehwan to whimper. He pulls Jaehwan in, turning the brunet around for a back hug against his chest as his arms wrap around the shorter male “I’ve got him!” Sanghyuk shouts loudly.

Jaehwan’s eyes widen in betrayal as Sanghyuk shouts again. “I’ve got him! He’s in here!” 

“No! Sanghyuk, no!” he screams, trying to get out of his fiance's hold as Sanghyuk drags him into the music room. “Sanghyuk, _please_ , please don’t do this!” he yells out, flailing as he is dragged to the big dining table in the middle with a freshly painted pentagram. Sanghyuk practically throws him on top of the table, the other family members rushing to tie his arms and legs down to a stake on the corner of each point of the pentagram. 

The brunet frantically glances around, seeing the remaining family members now dressed in dark robe, each chanting something in a language he does not understand, sipping something from a gauntlet being passed around. He pulls against his restraints, shrieking with panic. He looks up at Sanghyuk, the taller male standing over his head. “Sanghyuk, please! Don’t do this!” he shouts, tears streaming down his face. “Sanghyuk! _I love you Sanghyuk_ , why are you doing this?!” he yells with a breaking voice, cheeks staining with blood as he watches the man he loves grab a silver dagger. 

Sanghyuk looks down at Jaehwan, unblinking. The chanting stops and Jaehwan hears Mr. Han yell out _“Hail Satan!”_ Everyone around the table follows suit and repeats his words. Sanghyuk stares down at Jaehwan, never breaking eye contact as he utters, “ _Hail Satan”_ raising his dagger up. 

Jaehwan whimpers from his place on the table as he whispers “This isn’t who you are.”

His fiance gulps, dagger still in the air, as he replies coldly, “This is who I am, Jaehwan...this is who I always was.” His eyes saddens for a second as he sighs. _“I’ll always love you baby.”_ The is brought down and shoved right into Jaehwan’s chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all! This prompt is heavily inspired by the movie _Ready or Not_ (2019). I didn't write out the entire movie and it's not following the plot 100%, so I don't think I've spoiled it for anyone that wants to see the movie.


	17. Terribly hurt & in need of some help (KenBin)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pairing: Jaehwan/Hongbin (KenBin)  
> Rating: M  
> Prompt: House/"hush now, be still"  
> Warning: mentions of blood, gore, character death

The words on the pages are blending together as Jaehwan’s drowsy eyes start to close. He’s been studying for six hours straight and everything is starting to muddle together in his brain. The nursing student rubs his eyes, groaning as he throws his head against the couch. 

His roommate Hakyeon walks down the stairs, dressed up and ready to go. He scoffs when he finds the younger male pouting in the living room. “Still at it, huh?”

Jaehwan lets out a petulant whine in a nasally voice, _“I don’t feel like studying anymoreeee!”_

Hakyeon walks over and brushes his fingers through Jaehwan’s brown hair. “There, there little one, there, there.” 

The brunet glances up at the older male, pouting his lips and making grabby hands as he mumbles, “Please stay here and keep me company. You’re the only other person in the house!” 

His roommate laughs loudly, “And be miserable with you? No thanks. I’ve got a date to attend little one.” he says, giving Jaehwan a playful pat on his cheek, ignoring the younger male’s pouts. “You should’ve just went with everyone else to that party.” he insists, fixing his hair in front of the mirror in the living room.

Jaehwan groans, “I can’t! I have too many exams to study for.” whining against the couch.

Hakyeon tsks, glancing over at Jaehwan through the mirror before saying, “Then you should’ve started earlier.” Jaehwan snaps his head up with a frown, flipping his roommate off. The older male laughs as he heads towards the door, shouting teasingly “Don’t wait up on me or stay up too late studying! Watch the house, would ya?” 

“Hakyeon, you asshole!” Jaehwan yells as the older male closes the door, then mumbling to himself “Going out to have fun while I die on this couch. Some friend he is.” He shoots a death glare at his opened books, groaning as he throws his head back on the couch, staring at the ceiling and whimpering to himself knowing he’s still got a couple more chapters to study. A knock at the door distracts him. He raises an eyebrow as he stares at the door. Hakyeon must’ve left something. He gets up with a huff, ready to give Hakyeon a piece of his mind for abandoning him on a Friday night. “Well well well, look what the cat dragged ba-” he pauses, taking in a sharp intake of breath.

Because it’s not Hakyeon that’s standing in front of the door...but instead a handsome stranger. The stranger glances up at Jaehwan, black hair swept away from his handsome face, lips breaking out into a dashing, dimpled smile. Jaehwan finds himself smiling back, his grin only faltering when his eyes catch the crimson on the man’s temple. 

The stranger rests a hand over his temple, as he sweetly says “Excuse me sir, I really don’t mean to be a bother,” he sighs, “but as you can see I’m hurt and needed some help.” He raises his eyebrows at Jaehwan expectantly. 

Jaehwan blinks at the stranger in front of him, glancing back up at the blood on his temple. Folding his arm over himself, Jaehwan glances around, “Um, were you involved in a car accident? Maybe we should get you to a hospital?”

The man sighs once more, “No, actually I fell and hurt my head a little while ago on the sidewalk.” he says while pointing towards the direction he was coming from, shrugging, “I just want to clean up the wound a little with some alcohol or maybe at least wipe the blood away.” he dryly chuckles. Jaehwan blinks at him without responding. The man nods, as he says, “I understand if you don’t feel comfortable with some rando coming into your home. I’ll be on my way then.” he says, flashing a grin and walking away, placing a hand against his temple. 

The brunet squints his eyes at the stranger, feeling a hint of guilt as the man walks away. The entire situation is a bit strange though: the man claims to have gotten hurt and is coming up to a random house to clean his wound instead of going to the hospital. Something isn’t adding up. Still, he thinks about that man walking out on the streets and possibly passing out or being taken advantage of. Robberies are not that rare around here and a _handsome_ face like that would attract attention anywhere. Jaehwan _could_ ask the man to come in to clean up his wound, and then maybe he could convince the stranger to go to the hospital. He licks his lips and against his better judgement calls out, “Wait,” The stranger stops in his tracks, glancing back over at Jaehwan. The brunet nods, waving the man back with a shy smile, “why don’t you come in?”

The handsome stranger flashes a smile back.

* * *

“This might sting a little.” Jaehwan says as he wipes at the blood on the stranger’s skin. The stranger sighs, looking around the living room and glancing towards the first aid kit laid out on the coffee table next to the open anatomy book. The man glances up, taking in the concentrated look on the brunet’s face, eyebrows scrunched up, lips jutted out. Amusingly, he says “Well, I’m definitely glad I’ve knocked on the door of a house that has a first aid kit _and a cute medical student._ ” 

Jaehwan’s hand freezes as blush creeps up on his face. He laughs quietly, pouring some rubbing alcohol on a fresh piece of gauze, “Actually I’m a nursing student; we all are actually. We go to the nursing school on the next street over.”

The stranger raises an eyebrow, “We?” he asks in confusion.

The brunet chuckles, “Yes, me and my roommates. I can’t afford living in a house like this on my own.” he laughs, as he delicately swipes through the man’s black hair, trying to find the main source of the bleeding.

Humming, the man glances up at Jaehwan, smiling as he asks. “I was just surprised since it sounds a bit quiet in here, especially if it’s a house full of college students.”

Jaehwan scoffs, “That’s because they all ditched me tonight since I have to study…” he mutters, distracted by the lack of active bleeding. “It’s weird,” he says wiping away the last of the drying blood off of the man’s skin, “I’ve almost wiped away all of the blood, yet I still couldn’t find the source…” he says out loud glancing down at the man in confusion, confusion which turns to alarm when the man grabs the lamp next to them and hits Jaehwan over the head. 

* * *

Jaehwan slowly blinks his eyes open, confused over where he is. He groans at the throbbing pain in his head, nuzzling his face against the couch when he realizes his mouth is gagged with something. He tries to touch the offending object, pulling on his arm when the memory of what had happened hits him. He raises his head and looks back to find his wrists tied to his ankle in a hogtie. The nursing student frantically pulls at his wrists, yells muffled by the gag in his mouth.

“I wouldn’t bother wasting my energy if I were you.” he hears a deep voice rumble. 

The brunet looks up with frightened eyes, finding the stranger he had let into the house sitting across from him on a chair. The man observes him methodically, grimacing with widened eyes. Jaehwan whimpers loudly around the gag, desperately pulling on his restraints. 

_“Hush now, be still.”_ he hears the man coo at him, getting up from the chair and walking over to him. The stranger stands directly in front of him, eyes cast down on the immobile Jaehwan, an evil smile adorning his handsome face. Tears brim in Jaehwan’s eyes as he whimpers against the fabric of the couch, his shoulders shaking from fear. The man tsks, “You know it’s never easy having to kill the pretty ones.” He ghosts a fingertip over Jaehwan’s brown fringes, lightly movinging it away from his forehead and letting it drop back down.

Jaehwan gasps around the cloth, shutting his eyes as he sobs. 

The stranger retracts his hand and sighs, mockingly shaking his head as he pushes his jacket aside, a knife tucked in a holster on his pants. Jaehwan follows the stranger’s hand as it pulls out the knife out, the light reflecting off the silver. 

Panic soars through Jaehwan as he finds himself breathing harshly through his nose, terrified whimpers loudly seeping through the clothed gag. The man hums at Jaehwan, “Like it? It’s real pretty isn’t it?” he laughs, staring at the blade then back at Jaehwan, biting his lower lip before whispering teasingly, “But not as pretty as you.” 

He crouches out so that he’s eye level with the brunet, tenderly swiping the tip of the blade against Jaehwan’s cheekbone, causing the nursing student to shudder, tears spilling onto the couch. “Such a pity that you had to be so pretty _and_ so naive.” the man sneers, standing back up. 

The stranger glances around the room, as if he can’t hear Jaehwan’s cries and whimpers. He picks up one of Jaehwan’s books and flips to the front cover, reading out loud, “Lee Jaehwan.” Jaehwan’s eyes snap towards the man as he trembles against the couch, his fingers still trying to reach for the knots in a futile attempt. The man sets the book down with an exhale, turning back towards Jaehwan with a maniacal grin, “Well Lee Jaehwan, it was a pleasure to know you!” he says, immediately driving the blade into his back. 

Jaehwan screams in agony, cries roaring against the four walls of the room, crimson blood scattering everywhere, blocking his vision. His arms strain against his restraints as the man continues to plunge the knife into his back, screaming out silently for his mother, for his friends, for God; screaming until the blade slices into him for one last time as he goes silent, blank eyes staring out at nothing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel awful killing Jaehwan twice in a row ;~~~; Maybe I'll let him live in the next one lol  
> Inspired by AHS: Murder House, the title based on a line from a segment on the show.
> 
> Feel free to give me a follow on [twitter](https://twitter.com/3star4life) ^_^


	18. Hello....hello? (no pairing)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pairing: none  
> Rating: G  
> Prompt: book/ "Hello...hello?"  
> Warning: none  
> Featuring high schoolers Hakyeon, Sanghyuk, & Jaehwan. If you squint, you might see a hint of HyuKen.

“Are you sure this will work?” Jaehwan complains for the umpteenth time, running his tongue over his braces. 

Hakyeon rolls his eyes, as he flips to the correct page of the spell book. “Of course it will! You just hate sitting still for more than five minutes.” he says, ignoring the squawk the brunet let out. The older male extends his hand, “Okay I found the correct spell. Let us join hands.”

Sanghyuk scoffs beside him, muttering “I don’t want to hold your hand. I only came because you said we were gonna talk to spirits, not sit around the table holding hands.”

The older male shoots him a glare, “We _are_ going to talk to spirits, but we need to hold hands for this to work!” He pushes his palm in front of both of their faces, Sanghyuk groaning before taking it.

“What if it’s not even the right thing?” he grimaces.

The oldest removes his hand to flick Sanghyuk on the forehead, before grasping it again. “I looked through the pages and it literally says _Spiritus_ on top, which is latin for _Spirits!_ ”

“ _Spiritus_ what?” Sanghyuk challenges.

Hakyeon raises an eyebrow, “What?”

Sanghyuk stares at him with a bored expression, “ _Spiritus_ what? Just Spiritus? How do you know that means we’ll be able to talk to them?” looking over to Jaehwan for reaffirmation, the other male nodding.

The oldest of the three squints eyebrows in frustration, “Well can we just try it and see?”

Jaehwan crinkles his nose, joining hands with Hakyeon. “Where’d you even get that book? It looks like it’s at least a hundred years old.”

Hakyeon shakes his head, glaring at his friend “I found it in the trunk up in the attic. Now can we please carry on with this before it’s time for you to go home?!”

The younger two shrug, murmuring _fine_ and _whatever_. 

Sighing, the oldest of the three hums, reading from the book, “Troubled spirits, draw ye near.” pausing to look around the room. The two other boys stare at him to continue, so he does, clearing his voice. “Uncloak yourselves and reveal to us your true forms on this terrestrial plane-” a sudden creak of the floorboards makes him pause. 

With widened eyes, Hakyeon glances towards Sanghyuk then Jaehwan, the other two males also sporting an alarmed look. Another slow creak of the floorboard is heard, Jaehwan’s hand tightening around Hakyeon’s as Hakyeon’s tightens around Sanghyuk’s, the youngest practically clutching Jaehwan's.

The youngest of the three, despite claiming to be the bravest, finds himself looking around the room with nervousness. “Uh...should...should we say something?”

Hakyeon feels frozen, mouth opening and closing as he stares at the book and glances back up at his friends.

Jaehwan anxiously runs his tongue over his upper braces, clearing his throat before quietly saying, _“H-hello...hello?”_

Silence. 

And suddenly...darkness.

The three boys shriek, tightening their holds on each other’s hand, screaming at the top of their lungs. Immediately the lights are back on, a cackling coming from the end of the room. All three boys shoot their head towards that direction to find Taekwoon, Hakyeon’s normally brooding older cousin visiting for the summer, laughing as he holds his stomach. “Oh my god,” he guffaws, trying to speak through his breathless laugh, “did you kids almost piss yourself?”

Hakyeon huffs, standing up and glaring at Taekwoon, “What the fuck, Taekwoon! We are doing some powerful shit here that you shouldn’t be messing with!” 

The older male tries to stifle, turning his head around. When he turns around to face the trio he’s back to the impassive face he’s normally sporting, raising an eyebrow. “Well, based on the reaction I just saw...I don’t think you three should be messing with the _powerful shit_ either.” He glances at the book and scoffs, “By the way, your mom got that book from a gag shop.” 

Hakyeon scrunches his eyebrows, glancing down at his two friends and then back at his cousin “Wha-”

Taekwoon cuts him off with a yawn. “Okay kids, enough summoning demons. Go play some video games or some shit.” he says, already walking out the room.

Silence falls over the table. Jaehwan blinks up at Hakyeon with a pout, patting the older boy’s hand reassuringly, “It’s okay Hakyeon, we’ll find a real spell book one day. At least we got a good scare out of it today.”

Sanghyuk instead scoffs from his seat, “Psh, I knew this shit wasn’t real.” 

Jaehwan turns to the youngest and deadpans, “Then how come you’re still holding onto my hand tightly?” 

An immediate blush creeps up on Sanghyuk’s face as he lets go of Jaehwan’s hand, quickly moving his one away from the table.

Hakyeon rubs his temple, as he bursts out laughing, the younger two glancing at each other in confusion. “I can’t believe we were trying to call out ghosts...with a fake spell book.” giggling at the silly predicament. He sighs, “Well this was a bust. Come on, let’s go play some video games.” he suggests, walking away from the table, leaving the book where it is, the younger two males in tow. 

The room is empty once more. Silent. A breeze rustles through the room and over the pages of the book.

  
A faint _“Hello.”_ lingers in the air.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a short one!


	19. No one to interrupt us (HyuKen)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pairing: Sanghyuk/Jaehwan (HyuKen)  
> Rating: M  
> Prompt: abandoned/ "then...whose hand am I holding?"  
> Warning: mentions of blood

_“Put your on my shoulders”_ Paul Anka croons through the car’s speakers, providing background noise to the panting and shuffling coming from the two seniors in the backseat. One of Sanghyuk’s palm reaches down to grab a handful of Jaehwan’s ass as the other one moves under the smaller male’s hair, grabbing a lock of dark brown hair as he deepens the kiss. The older male whimpers against his lips.

Jaehwan's nimble fingers find their way to Sanghyuk’s blond hair, pulling on it hard enough that the quarterback pulls away with a hiss. Sanghyuk glares down at his boyfriend with a smirk, the brunet’s puffy, pink lips glossy with saliva breaking into a teasing smile in return. The quarterback mutters out a husky _“Oh baby,”_ moving back down to reconnect their lips. Jaehwan sighs into the kiss, his hands draping around Sanghyuk’s shoulder, fingers pressing into the varsity jacket.

The older male yelps when Sanghyuk yanks him up. He pulls Jaehwan close and down to his lap, lips attaching to the brunet’s neck. Jaehwan closes his eyes, grinding down on the forming tent on his boyfriend’s crotch as he feels his boyfriend’s finger brushing against the soft skin under his shirt. 

Sanghyuk nips lightly against the skin, a faint hickey already forming on Jaehwan’s neck. He moves up for another hungry kiss as he palms the older male’s clothed erection, smirking when he hears Jaehwan moan against his lips. He takes the opportunity to stick his tongue inside, pulling the older male closer as his hand continues fondle Jaehwan’s hard-on.

Jaehwan pulls away, brushing his lips against his boyfriend’s temple, moaning against Sanghyuk’s ear. His gaze shifts up to find a dark figure standing several feet behind the trunk of the car, clad in a black trench coat and bucket hat, hands inside the pockets. He pulls away from the blond with a startled scream, grappling at Sanghyuk’s shoulder, “S-sanghyuk, I see someone, outside!”

The quarterback immediately snaps his head back to look, finding nobody. He does a 360 sweep around the car with his eyes and glances back up at Jaehwan. His boyfriend is panting harshly, wide eyes frantically looking around, scanning the surrounding. Sanghyuk cups Jaehwan’s cheek reassuringly, thumbing against his cheekbone, “Babe we’re in the middle of an abandoned field, no one else is here.” he says.

The older male shakes his head, eyes still searching through the windows, “I swear I saw someone Sanghyuk.” he claims. 

Sanghyuk sighs, wrapping his arm around the shorter male’s waist, sitting up slightly to carefully peer out all of the windows with a scrutinizing gaze: nothing but darkness and the lulling chirping of crickets. His hold around Jaehwan loosens as he looks up at his boyfriend, his other hand reaching up to brush some of the brown fringes away from Jaehwan’s eyes. “There’s no one here sweetheart.” he mutters to Jaehwan, lips pouting unintentionally. 

The image subconsciously causes the older male to relax against Sanghyuk’s body, pursing his lips into a pout of its own. “But Sanghyuk...he was right there.” Jaehwan tries to persuade.

Looking around once more for good measure, Sanghyuk glances back up at Jaehwan, cupping his boyfriend’s cheek once more and pulling the older in for a peck. Locking eyes with the other’s brown orbs, he presses another light kiss, mumbling against the soft lips, “I promise you, _it’s just you and me out here, baby._ ” he assures, nosing along Jaehwan’s jawline, leaving feathery pecks. Sanghyuk’s long fingers tangle into Jaehwan’s hair as he mutters against his boyfriend’s ears “Just you and me _, no one to interrupt us._ ”

A sly finger skims against the sliver of skin under Jaehwan’s sweatshirt, causing the older male to shudder. Sanghyuk presses a kiss against Jaehwan’s cheek while he cups the brunet’s jaw delicately, warm puffs of breath hitting each other’s skin. The quarterback noses along the other’s cheekbone, taking one of Jaehwan’s hands and unhurriedly placing it on top of his clothed erection. He gingerly sucks on the older male’s bottom lip as his crotch presses up Jaehwan’s palm, causing Jaehwan to gasp against his mouth as his hand reflectively grapples around the hardened length through the jeans.

Sanghyuk lets go of the plush lip, his thumb caressing over it, eyes concentrated on the petal-like opening. Jaehwan stares back at his boyfriend's expression, as Sanghyuk pushes up against his hand. The taller male gazes back up to meet Jaehwan’s eyes, “You feel that?” he asks, thrusting up into the brunet’s palm. Jaehwan whimpers at the feeling of the _thick_ cock in his hold. Sanghyuk places a featherlight kiss on his cheek, “That’s all because of _you_.” he huskily whispers, still thumbing his lip. 

Jaehwan shivers at the comment as Sanghyuk’s insistent mouth sucks open-mouthed kisses along his neck. He moves back up to Jaehwan and stares at the pink lips hungrily, gaze flitting up to meet the other’s _“Suck me off, would you baby?”_ he gently asks, rubbing his thumb against Jaehwan’s cheekbone. 

The brunet mewls at that comment, when Sanghyuk thrusts once more against his hold, pushing the back of his hand into his own erection. He nods hazily against Sanghyuk’s cheek, the blond hair tickling his temple, a surge of desire growing in his groin, mouth parting greedily as he lustfully responds, _“Y-yes.”_

Sanghyuk places another kiss against Jaehwan’s lip, as the brunet makes a move to get up. Jaehwan’s panting when he looks past Sanghyuk’s head to find the same dark figure, now closer than it was before, tilting its head to the side. 

Jaehwan’s eyes widen, freezing at the sight of the stranger. Sanghyuk’s smile falters when he notices Jaehwan’s perplexed expression. “Baby, what’s wrong?” he asks, worry evident in his voice. 

Glaring down at Sanghyuk, Jaehwan hisses “Sanghyuk, he’s back there! Closer!”

Wrapping an arm around Jaehwan, Sanghyuk sits up in alarm, snapping his head back to find an empty field once more. The older male exhales in frustration, moving off of Sanghyuk’s lap “ _W_ _hat the fuck!_ He was right fucking there!”

The blond looks at his boyfriend then scans the surroundings of the car, “But no one’s here bab-”

“Don’t ‘no one’s here baby’ me again, Sanghyuk! I saw the man, twice!” Jaehwan shouts, scrunching his eyebrows in annoyance.

Sanghyuk dumbly blinks at the other, “But who else would be here? And why would they keep disappearing?”

Jaehwan huffs in irritation. “It’s probably some dumb fuck playing a prank.” he mutters, glaring outside the car window. “Come one, let’s find em.” he says, hand reaching for the car’s handle. 

The quarterback rushes over and grabs Jaehwan’s hand. “Jae, what the fuck are doing?”

“I’m gonna go find the assholes messing with us.” the brunet blinks back at him. 

Sanghyuk shakes his head, sighing “Look, Jaehwan, no one’s here.” He runs a hand through his hair, “Babe we’ll just get out of here. This place is probably just creeping you out.”

Jaehwan raises an eyebrow at his boyfriend. “Huh.” he scoffs. Sanghyuk stares at him in confusion. “You think I’m making this guy up?” the brunet questions. 

The taller male lets out a frustrated breath, “No, baby I just thi-”

“We’ll see who’s right when I drag the cockblocks here by their ear!” he yells, opening the door and stepping out.

“Jae, baby, come on, come back in the car.” Sanghyuk calls after him. 

  
  


The older male steps out and walks towards where he saw the guy. “Hey fucktard, come out!” he shouts out. “Oh, what? Not so much of a tough guy in front of my face?” he mocks, scoffing, “Because if you want trouble, I’ll give you trouble! I’m not afraid of you!” he yells. 

In all honesty, Jaehwan doesn’t know where this show of bravery (or perhaps stupidity) is coming from. Perhaps it’s a combination of wanting to prove Sanghyuk wrong, refusing to be treated like a frightened mouse, and being interrupted before going down his rockin hard twink of a boyfriend (even if he _is_ slightly upset at the quarterback right now). He rolls his eyes when he hears footsteps behind him while he turns on the flashlight on his phone. 

“Why’d you come out of the car? I thought there’s no one here?” he grits through his teeth, scanning the area in front of him with his phone. A large, warm hand reaches out for his left hand as he grumps, “I don’t want to talk to you right now.” Jaehwan subconsciously pouts upset that no he can’t find the hooligan messing with them, a little upset ( _and rather embarrassed_ ) that he started an argument with his boyfriend instead of getting off. He checks his watch and frowns.

_10:05 p.m._

Shit. Now Sanghyuk had to drop him off in twenty-five minutes or Jaehwan’s parents would hand both of them their asses.

The warm hand reaches out for him again and Jaehwan lets it take his hand, sighing as the other starts to rub circles against his skin with his thumb. “This is so stupid.” he mutters, partially hoping Sanghyuk would accept this as an apology and they can maybe quickly jerk each other in the car before heading home. 

_“Jaehwan!”_ he hears from his right. 

The brunet scrunches his eyebrows and turns to find a startled Sanghyuk standing outside his car. But if Sanghyuk is over there, “...then...whose hand am I holding?” Jaehwan mumbles to himself, turning to his left. He gasps when he sees the stranger in the black trench coat, face tilted down and hidden below his bucket hat. 

Screaming, he tries to pull his hand away, but the figure tightens its grip, pulling Jaehwan closer. With his free hand, the stranger pulls out a knife raising it in the air, ready to strike. The brunet punches the stranger across his head, rushing to pull away. He cries out when he feels a sharp pain slice through his arm, falling to the ground. Jaehwan looks up to find the stranger, face still shielded by the shadow of his hat, peering down at him, raising the now-blood-stained blade once more. Within a second, he sees Sanghyuk tackle the man, punching him and wrestling the knife away. 

The older male blinks for a second, trying to process what is going on in front of him. He shakes his head and rushes up to where his boyfriend and the stranger are tussling. He kicks the man on his side and pulls Sanghyuk away, yelling “Sanghyuk! Let’s go!” dragging him back. The blond grabs Jaehwan and pushes him forward, steering him towards the passenger’s door. 

“Hurry!” he shouts as he goes over to the driver’s side. 

Jaehwan gets in swiftly, wincing when a wave of pain shoots up his arm. He sees the stranger getting up in the rear-view window, wheezing as he turns to Sanghyuk, “He’s getting up! We have to go now!” The athlete shoots Jaehwan a nod, hands frantically reaching for the key still in the ignition, turning the engine on and swerving out the abandoned field. Jaehwan looks out the window to find the stranger standing where they left him, watching the couple drive away.

Both try to catch their breaths as Sanghyuk continues to drive on the main road, speeding as fast as he could without swerving off the road. Jaehwan shivers, hisses as he presses against the wound on his arm, blood soaking through his sweatshirt. The quarterback gulps, looking over at his boyfriend and quickly eyeing the gash on his arm before returning his attention back to the road. They drive for another ten minutes, before he pulls over to the side, checking his rear-view mirror for a second for good measure, before taking off his letterman jacket and draping it over Jaehwan. “You good?” he asks breathlessly, knowing that _no_ Jaehwan isn’t really good.

The brunet licks his lips, letting out a breath and nods. “Y-yeah, I’m good.” 

Sanghyuk nods back, pressing a quick kiss to his boyfriend’s temple then starting to drive again. He glances at the car’s clock that reads _10:45_. 

  
_“Shit,_ ” Sanghyuk mumbles out loudly, _“your parents are gonna kill me."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm imagining HyuKen being horny teenagers in an 80s slasher movie with this one. I also snuck in a John Mulaney joke somewhere in there _just because it fits_ and I have no shame about it *shrugs*


	20. A boy walks home alone at night (Jaehwan-centric)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pairing: none-specified  
> Rating: T  
> Prompt: scream/ "can you hear me now?"  
> Warning: attacked walking home

Jaehwan shivers, folding his arms around himself in a futile attempt of staying warm. The crisp October chills have been especially harsh tonight. Checking his wristwatch, Jaehwan sighs. 

_3:15 a.m._

All he can think about as he continues to walk is that the sooner he makes it home, the sooner he can take a shower and fall asleep. Jaehwan blinks through his dark brown fringes as he tries to push his tiredness away, dreaming of the messy, unmade bed in his apartment. He thinks about how easily he’ll sink into the mattress, how cozily his blankets will cover him, how soft his old cotton t-shirt will feel against his skin instead of the stiff uniform shirt he’s currently donning. He should be used to being up this late, rather staying up till the early hours of the morning, having had this job for over a year now. Of course, the late-night shift as a subway attendant may be a pain, but someone has to do it. People still have places to go and places to return to. At least the subway station closes at three, he often muses himself. It could have been a 24-hour station and then he would’ve had an even shitier shift. 

This morning is rather quiet, with the exception of the whooshing of the breeze. The brunet pushes his head down inside his long insulated jacket. Sanghyuk had laughed seeing him walk in with a winter coat in October, making Jaehwan feel a little self-conscious. But right now he’s absolutely grateful daytime-Jaehwan was looking out for nighttime-Jaehwan. Even with the heavy coat, the subway attendant couldn’t help himself and shake like a leaf. 

He keeps trucking forward, reminding himself he’s only ten minutes from his apartment. Just ten more minutes and he’ll be warm and comfortable. Maybe even eight minutes if his legs are fast enough.

So lost in his own thoughts, he doesn’t even notice the sound of faint footsteps behind him. A rustle of leaves is what finally grabs Jaehwan’s attention. The brunet snaps his head behind him, legs hunched, ready to sprint away. His shoulders and legs relax when he doesn’t see anything.

Scrunching his eyebrows, Jaehwan glances around to see if anyone else is near him. “Hmm.” he says to himself, as he starts to walk again. He yawns loudly, whining over the chill he feels at the tip of his nose and ears, no doubt already pink and as cold as an icicle. He walks another ten steps when he hears a snapping of a branch, fight-or-flight kicking in as he turns around with his forearms in front of him, ready to defend himself from whatever form of attack he might feel. Again, nothing. Jaehwan pouts, putting his forearms down, grateful no one else is here to see him look like such a dork.

“This is silly. There’s no one else here.” he says outloud, nervously chuckling to himself. He looks at his watch with a frown.

_3:30 am_

He should have reached his house by now. Shaking his head, he continues on his trek, eyes watching out for his surroundings, an unsettling feeling bubbling in belly. He knows it is silly to be so worried: he has taken this route during this time all by himself for the past year and a half. He has never had a problem before, so why is he so worried today?

Jaehwan feels his feet pick up when he notices an alleyway up front. “Hell no.” he mutters to himself, as he powerwalks, his legs cramping up with shin-splints as he does so. At that moment he curses himself for not tagging along with Wonshik to the gym more often. His burning legs give in right as he is about to pass the opening of the dark alley, legs refusing to move. A clutter causes Jaehwan’s eyes to widen, as he unconsciously peers into the darkness. He feels a shudder coursing through his body as he stands there, his heart beating frantically. 

_What am I doing,_ the rational part of him thinks as his brain sends commands to his limbs to _go go go_! Yet he stands there, _paralyzed_ , as if something is stopping him from moving, eyes refusing to turn away from the alley. 

A pair of bright yellow, feline-like eyes appear in the shadows, piercing right at the brunet. Jaehwan gasps, opening his mouth but no scream comes out, the shriek of absolute fear trapped in his throat. The eyes come closer to him, tilting from side-to-side, fluttering down then up, as if sizing Jaehwan up, stopping right before it hits the streetlight, unblinkling, eye-level with the subway attendant. Jaehwan trembles where he is frozen, lips trembling as pathetic whimpers force their ways out of his mouth. Within a second, a force pulls Jaehwan into the darkness, slamming him against the wall. 

He tries to scream with an aching throat, but all that comes out is an airy wail, blending in with the autumn breeze passing by. Tears brim in Jaehwan’s widened eyes as he continues to tremble, surrounded by a shroud of darkness and amber eyes pinning him to the wall. Jaehwan shuts his eyes tightly, until hair is harshly yanked, forcing him to look up, the gaze in front of him an angry one.

Jaehwan lets out a fading cry when his chin is roughly grabbed, something sharp digging into his cheeks. The brunet tries to yell out for help, tears streaming down his face when no noise comes out. The feline-like eyes squint up at him, as if they were smiling, forcefully pulling his jaw down, opening his mouth. 

A terrified, silent scream tries to force its way out when Jaehwan feels an overwhelming gust of pressure and air push its way into his mouth, his eyes closing shut, every muscle in his body stiffening as an immense energy spearheads its way into his body.

And just like that, it stops. Jaehwan gasps loudly, body flinging off the wall and falling to his knees. His arms shake, wide brown eyes unmoving from the ground. He slowly stands up, his limbs feeling dense, his heart pressing against his chest. 

Somewhere from inside him he hears a murmur, _“Can you feel me now?”_

A frightened tear rolls down the brunet’s face, entire body shivering as he whispers, “Y-yes.”

_“Good.”_ the voice responds. _“Let’s go home.”_

The brunet nods, taking measured steps out of the alley and into the sidewalk, turning to the direction of his apartment.

Jaehwan shivers, folding his arm around himself in a futile attempt to keep himself warm. The chill he feels all around and within him is especially harsh. Checking his wristwatch, he sighs.

_3:50 am._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a specific member in my head, but I'll let the reader imagine who they want. The title is based on the movie _A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night_ but the plot is completely unrelated. It's a great movie and I recommend!
> 
> Please excuse any typos!


	21. Sleepwalk (HyuKen)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pairing: Sanghyuk/Jaehwan (HyuKen)  
> Rating: E  
> Prompt: neon/ "we have to get out of here"  
> Warnings: uh...none

Jaehwan yawns as he continues to drive, forcing his drowsy eyes to open widely under his dark brown fringes. This road normally doesn’t have any cars in it, Jaehwan only taking it tonight because the freeway has some construction and he’d rather just turn through the backroads. In all honesty, no one _should_ be near the corn fields at this hour of the night, but Jaehawn still needs to make sure he doesn’t crash his car into a ditch or a tree, even if the vehicle is on its last leg. 

He should have left Hakyeon’s house earlier, their monthly game night running extra long tonight, when a frustrated Taekwoon flipped their host’s table, Monopoly dollars, chances cards, houses and alike flying through the air. An angry Hakyeon demanded that every single piece of his game must be found before _anyone_ can set foot out of his apartment. And, well, Cha Hakyeon always gets what he wants. 

Clicking his tongue, Jaehwan turns on the radio, groaning at the static buzzing through his speakers at every channel he turns to. He finally finds an oldies channel with minimal disruption. “Better than nothing.” he mumbles to himself, turning the sound up, hoping it can keep him awake. “Raindrops keep falling on my head.” the singer croons through the car’s speakers, as Jaehwan stares straight ahead.

With one hand holding the steering wheel, Jaehwan moves his other hand to the back of his neck, stretching it from side to side with a sigh. As he continues driving, he notices an aura of neon purple adorning the night sky above an opening of the field. “What the heck…” he mumbles to himself, eyes distracted by the vibrant illumination. Curiosity gets the better of him and Jaehwan turns into an opening of the field, parking his car. He steps out, immediately wrapping his arms around himself, regretting not wearing something on top of his burgundy oversized hoodie. He walks further in, determined to find the source of the neon hues. 

As he gets closer to the lights, he starts to hear sizzling and feels a strange buzz in the air. Letting out a puff of chilled breath, he moves aside the corn stalk covering his view, gasping when he looks forward. 

There, in the middle of the floor is a gigantic burnt meteorite, surrounded by a gleam of purple, smoke exuding out of it. Jaehwan stares at the meteor speechlessly, rubbing his eyes to make sure he isn’t hallucinating. _“Oh my…”_ he mutters to himself, feet padding forward, hesitantly walking around the sweltering rock. “How long was this here…” he mumbles to himself, trailing off as his eyes follow the purple light surrounding the crater on the ground, exuding out the rock, powerful enough to light up an area of the night sky. His inner nerd squeals in excitement, never actually getting over his “space-phase,” so much so that he’s even started a webtoon taking place in space. Jaehwan yelps loudly when he makes a turn, almost falling back. There on the ground is a naked man, lying next to the crater on his side, knees curled up underneath him, eyes shut. 

Jaehwan takes a deep breath and moves closer to look at the man. Curiously, he peers at the stranger’s face: black fringes draping over his closed eyes, sharp jawline on an otherwise youthful face illuminated by the purplish tint, pink slightly parted lips. The brunet finds himself gasping at the handsomeness of the stranger, feeling his cheeks heat up when he remembers the man is completely naked, scolding at himself to not look down. He crouches down near the lying figure, brows scrunching when he notices streaks of soot and dirt across the stranger’s cheekbones. Without even realizing what he is doing, Jaehwan reaches a hand out to swipe it away, stunned when he feels a strong grip on his wrist. 

The stranger’s eyes shoot open, gaze immediately pinning at Jaehwan, the hold around the brunet’s wrist tightening. Jaehwan screams in panic then whimpers in discomfort from the hold on his wrist. The lying figure sits up, eyes unmoving, as if ready to fight.

“I wasn’t gonna hurt you, I was just gonna wipe the dirt away, I swear!” Jaehwan yells out, squinting his eyes from the tightened hold. 

The naked man’s scrutinizing glare softens and Jaehwan feels the hold on his wrist loosen, the stranger’s hand still wrapped around it. The stranger looks behind him to see the meteor then around the corn field, eyebrows scrunched in confusion. He locks his gaze with Jaehwan again, clearing his throat “Where am I?” he asks in a raspy voice, coughing once he hears it out loud.

Jaehwan blinks at the strangers, tilting his head to the side, “Uh...Washington?”

His response causes the stranger’s eyes to widen, dropping Jaehwan’s hand. He looks around him once more, chewing on his bottom lip, looking up to Jaehwan again “I- am I on....earth?”

Jaehwan’s jaw drops hearing that question. The handsome, _built_ , naked man he found slumbering in front of a _meteor_ just asked him if he was _on earth_. Dear god, is Jaehwan talking to an _extraterrestrial_? He gulps staring at the stranger, “Uh, yes you are.” shaking his head as he corrects himself, “Yes we are.” The naked man doesn’t blink, mouth parted in alarm. Jaehwan takes a look at the wreckage behind him, thinking about who else has probably seen the purple light, heard or felt the crash of the rock against the ground? He doesn’t even know how long the crater has been here. It could’ve landed anywhere between a mere few minutes or a few hours before Jaehwan drove by. “How...how have you been here?” he asks the man. The stranger doesn’t reply, looking towards the crater. Jaehwan clears his throat, changing his question, “Well...how’d you get here?” 

The stranger’s ears perk up as he slowly turns his head towards Jaehwan, whispering sadly “I don’t know.”

Scanning their surroundings, Jaehwan doesn’t see any houses or cars, sighing slightly. If this man truly is an alien, then who knows what people or the government will do after finding him naked with his dick out in front of a glowing, sizzling rock? Despite a rational part of his brain yelling at him to call the cops or walk away from the stranger, he finds himself saying “We have to get out of here.”

* * *

One of the good things about wearing clothes two times his size, is that Jaehwan’s hoodie fits the slightly larger stranger perfectly. The brunet tries not to shiver in his old graphic t-shirt, eyes glancing over at the other figure through the rear-view mirror for a fleeting moment, his attention immediately moving back to the road. The stranger curiously looks around the car from the driver’s seat, shifting slightly in a pair of Jaehwan’s too short basketball shorts he had in his car.

The car-ride is quiet, with the exception of some dreamy instrumental playing on the oldies station. Jaehwan takes in a breath, shooting the other a glance, “My name is Jaehwan, by the way.” he starts off, letting out a nervous chuckle as he adds, “Sorry, I forgot to introduce myself before asking you to get in my car.” The stranger stops peering around to look at Jaehwan, the brunet taking this as a sign to continue “Also realized I didn’t ask you for your name...what’s your name?”

He glances over towards the raven-haired male expectedly. The foreigner stares at Jaehwan, looking away, “Hyuk.”

_“Hyuk_?” he repeats. Is that his name or did the alien just make a noise Jaehwan wonders. Seeing the stranger nod from his peripheral vision confirms the former. The brunet bites his lip, gulping as he asks “So, Hyuk, where are you from if you’re not from earth?”

The outsider sits up, turning towards Jaehwan and softly responding “We call my planet Fantasia.” Jaehwan peeks over to find a small smile on the other’s face. “You guys don’t know about us though...we’re in a different galaxy.” the being finishes. 

Jaehwan takes a sharp intake of breath, “A different galaxy?!” he yells out, snapping his head at his passenger, “You’re not even from the Milky Way?”

Hyuk shakes his head, “You guys call it the Andromeda galaxy.” an amused grin gracing his face at his host’s excitement. “Our galaxies were supposed to collide in 4.5 billion years.” he states.

Still wrapping his head over this information, Jaehwan turns to Hyuk, fumbling out question after question. “I- how do you know so much about us if you're like...millions of light years away from us? How do you look like us? And you guys speak English? Do you have any special powers? I’m just…” he mumbles to himself. An overwhelming realization hits him as his car continues to move forward: he offered a ride, no, he offered to _take home_ an outsider whom he discovered naked. The worst case scenario is that this stranger is a deranged, serial killer pretending to be an alien and Jaehwan not only walked into his trap, but even offered to lock the door of the trap. The best case scenarios is that the visitor is an alien from an entirely different galaxy who sounds and looks just like a human male, _down to the dick!_

The stranger sighs, “You guys are the next biggest galaxy and earth has the most advanced life form similar to ours.” he answers. “So we study you all from afar, what you guys do, how you guys talk. I don’t think I have any special powers...we might be more logically advanced, observant but I don’t know if that’s a super power. I’m talking in English because I heard you speaking it.” he shrugs. “Would you like to speak something different?” he asks.

Jaehwan’s tries to close his gaping mouth, shaking his head, not even offended that the alien pretty much said they’re smarter than humans. “I’m just...wow. This is just a lot to unpack.” he mutters, turning onto a main road. “Well...how old are you?” he asks in a quiet voice.

His guest scrunches his brows in concentration, “Let’s just say...in earth years I’m 25.” he says. 

The host laughs, “Wow, 25? Oh how I wish I was 25 again. I’m 28, closing up to 30.” he snorts. Turning his head over to Hyuk, he catches the other smiling. It’s quiet again when he clears his throat, “And...and you have no memory of how you get here?”

He feels Hyuk stiffening up next to him. Jaehwan turns to find the stranger’s jaw clenching as he shakes his head, sadness evident in his eyes. “Last thing I remember is standing outside with my older sister, seeing a bright green light in the purple sky.”

* * *

Jaehwan opens the door to his apartment, turning the entryway lights on as he pads off his shoes, moving aside to let Hyuk in. The stranger peers in from the entrance, as if a little hesitant. The brunet gives a reassuring smile, “You can come in.” 

Hyuk looks at Jaehwan and places a step in with Jaehwan’s ratty old sneakers, barely fitting on his foot as a slipper. He follows Jaehwan and takes off the shoes, toes flexing once his steps on the soft carpeted floor. The host closes the door behind Hyuk, rushing over to his room. “Let me find you something decent to wear and a towel. My shower isn’t anything extraordinary, but at least it’s never out of hot water!” he says from his room, pausing and peering out at his guest, “I mean...do you guys like hot showers...or showers?” he asks.

The stranger nods, responding “Yes, we do.” Jaehwan smiles at him and moves back, rumbling through his belongings. Hyuk moves his attention towards the dark living room illuminated by flashing neon lights through the blinds. The hues shift from pink to blue to purple and then again to pink, hitting against the white walls and single couch.

The pitter-patter of feet brings his attention back to his host. “These are pretty big on me, so they might be more comfortable to you.” he says.

Hyuk nods, whispering a “Thank you.” as he takes the sweats and towel the brunet has brought out, then follows Jaehwan towards the bathroom. 

“Um, feel free to use...whatever soap or shampoo you want.” the older male says, pointing towards the shower. “I’ll set up a place for you on my couch.” he adds, turning to Hyuk with a smile. 

The visitor nods, moving in. He pauses, turning to Jaehwan with a blank expression “Are you also coming in?” he asks. 

Jaehwan snaps his head at the stranger, choking on his spit as he shakes his head, blush probably evident in his cheeks “Uh, no. You can go ahead first. You’ve had a long journey.” he jokes, hand reaching out to close the bathroom door. “If you need anything, I’ll be in the front room.” The visitor nods and whispers another thanks. 

The brunet closes the door and walks towards his room, exhaling loudly and slapping his hands over his cheeks as he thinks about Hyuk inviting him to shower with him. Despite having “studied” earth and humans on his own planet, the alien doesn’t seem to understand some social rules it seems like. Jaehwan tries not to think about the stranger showering in his apartment, mostly because it’s definitely rude and improper, but also because he’s still a little wary of inviting either an extraterrestrial or possible lunatic into his living space. 

He sets down an older duvet on his couch and places a pillow on top, wondering if this will be pleasant enough for his guest. Do the people, er the residents, in Fantasia sleep on beds? On couches? The floor? Do they even lie down or do they stand? When Jaehwan spotted him next to the meteoroid, the other male was in a fetal position. Was that on impulse or just how he landed. Jaehwan stares off into space, mind wrapped around so many questions. He turns to his right and startles finding a now showered Hyuk standing in his sweats. Jaehwan clears his throat, moving away from the couch, extending his hand out over the makeshift bed, “I hope this is comfortable enough?”

Hyuk glances at the couch, walking up to it and slowly sitting down, bouncing on it slightly. He turns to Jaehwan with a shy smile, “It’s perfect.” he says. 

Jaehwan ignores the flutter he feels in his chest, sighing. “Would you like something to eat or drink?” he awkwardly motions towards the kitchen, already walking there to pour his guest a glass. The alien shakes his head, graciously taking the glass and finishing the water in one go, stunning Jaehwan. “Oh, wow, yeah I guess you would be really thirsty.” he jokes lightly, bringing the water jug over to the living room table and refilling the glass. “Well...the kitchen is right there. I’m not sure what exactly you guys eat on your planet, but feel free to rummage through if you get hungry or grab more water.” he states, watching his guest sipping on more water. 

“I think I’m gonna go take a shower real quick and go to bed. We can think of what we should do next in the morning.” he adds, watching the stranger in front of him set the glass on the table, the _please don’t murder or rob me blind in my sleep_ stays behind in his throat. He sees Hyuk stare out at the blinds behind him, light from the billboards seeping through. “Oh, I’m sorry if those lights bother you. I can go look for my sleep mask if you wa-”

“No.” the visitor cuts Jaehwan off. “I like it.” he says. 

The brunet smiles, pointing towards the lamp next to the couch, “If you need more light, feel free to turn the lamp on. I usually close my bedroom door so it won’t bother me.” 

Hyuk peers over at the lamp and hums, turning back to Jaehwan with a smile. “Thank you so much, Jaehwan.” he says.

An elated feeling runs through his spine hearing the guest say his name for the first time. Jaehwan smiles at the younger male, whispering a “Good night Hyuk.” as he walks towards his room, feeling giddy when he hears the foreigner respond _good night Jaehwan_ back. 

After grabbing a ratty cotton t-shirt and a pair of shorts, he walks in the bathroom. He sighs as he forces himself not to think about the stranger currently sleeping on his couch. Jaehwan finishes up and steps out to the living room to check on his guest, pleased to find the other male fast asleep. He tiptoes to his room and slowly closes his door so it doesn’t wake Hyuk. His eyes fall on the lock of the doorknob, fingers itching to lock it. He hesitates and decides against it, climbing into his bed instead and hoping he doesn’t regret his decision later. 

“What a day.” Jaehwan mumbles to himself as he turns to his side, snuggling further into his bed, his eyes already drowsy.

* * *

The coffee machine quietly gurgles as Jaehwan tries to blink away the remnants of sleep in his eyes. He normally likes to sleep in during the weekend, but his anxiousness over his new guest beats his fatigue. Yawning, Jaehwan sighs, watching the coffee drip down. His eyes widens and he freezes when an arm wraps around his waist, a warm chest pressing into his back as a pair of _soft_ lips graze at his neck. The brunet gulps, slowly turning around to find a blinking Hyuk.

“Uh...good morning.” he says with a polite smile, cautiously pushing the stranger away. “What are you doing?” he adds.

Hyuk tilts his head, innocently responding “I was saying good morning. Isn’t this how you greet someone in the morning? I saw it in an earth movie once.” 

Jaehwan finds his heart melting at the look of endearment draped on Hyuk’s face. He clears his throat, “Uh, sure, but you only greet someone like that if you, um, well if you know them intimately.”

The alien blinks, eyebrows scrunched together, “Oh...like a brother or parent?” he asks.

Pushing away the urge to make a “ _brothers by fate, lovers by choice”_ joke, he instead shakes his head, “No, intimate as in a significant other or a lover.”

A look of realization suddenly appears on Hyuk’s face, the apples of his cheeks turning pink, “Oh, _oh_ , I’m sorry.” he says, looking away from Jaehwan, as if he’s slightly embarrassed. “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.” he mutters, still avoiding eye contact. 

The human finds himself smiling at the stranger’s shyness. “That’s okay.” he says, turning to pour himself a cup of coffee. “Uh...so do you drink coffee?” he asks his guest.

* * *

Hyuk finishes the last drop of his orange juice, smacking his tongue against the roof of his mouth with a satisfied hum. As it turns out, both OJ and coffee are not found in Fantasia, however the younger male could not handle one sip of the bitter dark liquid, instantly spitting it out as soon as he took a sip. Jaehwan explained that he thinks it tastes better with milk and sugar (lots and lots of sugar). Hyuk had then tried it, spitting out that as well. 

The brunet stares at his guest, eyes focused on the stranger, as he holds onto his own mug, watching Hyuk pick up a piece of waffle and hesitantly taking a bite, a perplexed look on his face. He looks up at Jaehwan with a grin, “I saw this on some earth television programing...always wondered what it tasted like.” He takes another bite and moans, “It’s delicious!” he mumbles.

Jaehwan chuckles, browsing on a local news station’s website. He sits up, causing the foreigner to glance up at him. “There’s an article about the meteorite!” he exclaims, skimming through the article. “All they mention on here is that it was found in a corn field and heard at least ten miles away.” He scrunches his eyebrows as he continues to scroll. “And they mention that the size of this meteorite should have caused a bigger shockwave...and NASA did not predict it on their radar anywhere…” 

“So it must’ve come out of nowhere.” Hyuk supplies, voice trailing off, eyes focused on the waffle on his plate, the desire to eat it long gone.

His host doesn’t say anything, choosing to scroll through his phone as he reads the article. “It seems like they’ve already picked it up, taking it back to some research lab. I guess we can’t even go back to the site to check the rock…” _check the rock? What can we do by checking the rock?_ Jaehwan scrutinized himself, feeling useless. His guest doesn’t say anything. 

  
  


“So I know you don’t know how you got here....but were you planning on going back to your planet?” he asks, cringing a little at how blunt he sounds.

Hyuk looks down, scrunching his eyebrows. “I guess.” he starts. “I don’t know how I would though...I don’t even know how I got here.” he lets out a bitter chuckle. 

Jaehwan nods, taking a sip of coffee. He hums. “Well...the first place I can think of that might have any idea how to get you home is NASA I guess...but I don’t think we have the technology to actually go into another galaxy, much less get there in one piece.”

He notices Hyuk tensing up. The alien sucks his bottom lips in, turning his head away from Jaehwan. Clearing his throat, he asks softly “And...what would they do with me?” The host blinks at Hyuk opening then closing his mouth, unable to form an answer. Hyuk looks up at Jaehwan and answers for him. “The scientist, at least?” His voice is unwavering when he adds “We’ve seen how dedicated they are to...experiments.” he tilts his head, “I’ve also seen how afraid people can be of what they don’t know...of outsiders, those that are different, even the ones from your own planet. What would they do with me?” 

The host swallows the lump in his throat, taking in the crestfallen look on the alien’s face, realizing that he may never see his home or family again. Jaehwan pours some more orange juice in Hyuk’s glass, not missing the quiet _thank you_ from the alien as he takes a sip. He smiles, tapping the raven-haired man’s hand reassuringly “Then I guess you’re stuck with me.” he muses in a teasing tone. The taller male blinks at him in surprise. “Why don’t we go get you some new clothes your size.”

* * *

Two weeks pass by fairly quickly, with Jaehwan taking his new guest shopping, making sure to buy comfortable pants that don’t stop above his ankles. The pair even went back to the site of the meteorite crash, the only thing remaining being the crater created by the rock. He was rather surprised how easily he got used to having the other around his apartment, using his bathroom, eating in his space, sleeping on his couch. The alien might be a bit reserved, but he is extremely helpful, helping with dishes, his trip to the laundromat, cleaning around the apartment. He takes Hyuk out to the city, so the alien could try out some of the human “experiences” the foreigner has seen on shows and movies. This included small things from eating at a diner, thrifting, pumping gas to taking an almost two hour drive so the visitor can see the famous Space Needle in Seattle. 

Even so, Jaehwan has noticed the look of sadness and distress in Hyuk’s eyes. The host tried to search all sorts of ridiculous things that might lead him to a solution, things that he had already searched for his webtoon, things that he had searched for the first time. No feasible, helpful results found. Hyuk had told him that it’s okay, that he’s accepted his new normal and he feels awful to burden Jaehwan. 

He reassured that Hyuk is no burden to him: he likes the company, he likes sharing his favorite places, the things he loves to do. Jaehwan even showed his guest the webtoon he’s working on, anxious at what the extraterrestrial would think of it. Hyuk hummed as he read it, his two comments being on a specific animated alien from his comic that “they’re not as green” and the other being “what happens next?” 

Jaehwan was stunned at how easily the _younger_ male appreciated his work instead of getting offended. The webtoon artist would also come to find out when Hyuk mentioned that he’s _25 in earth years_ he meant that he’s _technically freaking 55_. The alien nearly guffawed at Jaehwan’s reaction. “But you look so young…” he had muttered.

“Time moves slower out there.” Hyuk had shrugged.

Although having come to “terms” of perhaps spending the rest of his life on earth, Jaehwan has woken up to Hyuk screaming. The brunet rushed out to find the alien thrashing on the couch from night terrors until Jaehwan woke him up. Hyuk shivered even as Jaehwan held him for the next hour until the visitor fell back asleep. The webtoon artist made himself a cup of chamomile tea, observing his guest until his drowsy eyes couldn’t stay open anymore, lying his head down on the kitchen table. He woke up the next morning on his bed, no recollection of how he had gotten there. When he asked the alien _attempting_ to make him a cup of coffee, the other shrugged “You looked uncomfortable on the table. So I moved you there.” 

Jaehwan did not blush, he absolutely didn’t.

* * *

“The hell is going on?” is the first thing Jaehwan hears Hakyeon blurt out.

The brunet flinches at the tone his friend uses with him, not necessarily loud, yelling one...but a softer _scolding_ one. “Hello to you to Hakyeon.” he mutters back to his friend as his eyes drift between the two cereal boxes Hyuk is currently holding up. He finds himself pouting, his taste-buds begging him to choose the cocoa puffs but the adult in him demanding special K. Sighing, he motions towards the bland cornflakes, his attention finally going back to whatever Hakyeon is nagging about.

“-three weeks since you posted something on instagram or sent a stupid meme on the groupchat. Something’s not right. What happened?” his friend demands.

Jaehwan rolls his eyes as he puts a bag of chips in his shopping cart. “You guys always said my memes were annoying and made fun of my posts. Why are you worrying so much about them?” he asked, voice laced in amusement. 

The older male lets out an exhale on the phone, “Because _Jaehwan_ we’re your friends...we notice when you aren’t _you_. Now what’s wrong? Do I need to drop by?” the webtoon artist feels warmth in his chest hearing his friends care about him. 

“No, no, you guys don’t…” he starts off, glancing up to see where his new _roommate_ is. He finds Hyuk grabbing waffles from a refrigerator, finding himself smiling dumbly to himself. Biting his lips, he says “I uh, I’ve started spending time with someone else.” 

“ _What?!_ ” comes a shriek from the phone, causing Jaehwan to pull it away from his ear. Hyuk gives him a questioning look, depositing the boxes of waffles in the cart. Jaehwan shakes his head as his friend continues “And you haven’t told any of us? _Jaehwan_ …” he says, reminding him of a disappointed mother. “Well...you have to bring him to the next game night.”

Jaehwan’s eyes widen as he glances up at Hyuk, the alien giving him a perplexed look back, “I- uh I don’t know about that...it might be a bit too soon to-”

“Too soon to what? Introduce him to your bestest friends in the world?” Hakyeon snaps back, “Even though this guy obviously has you wrapped around his finger to the point that you ignored us for nearly a month?”

_No, I think it’s too soon to tell you guys I found this man, well this extraterrestrial, naked next to a sizzling rock and brought him home with me_. Jaehwan rubs his temple debating how much of that he should spill.

“I expect to see both you _and_ your new beau at Hongbin’s next week. End of discussion!” the older male scolds, hanging up before he could get another word in. 

Jaehwan hangs up with a sigh, looking up at Hyuk, the foreigner staring back at him with an expectant gaze. The pair had played some board games he had in his apartments and for a first time player, Hyuk’s pretty good at the games. But if game night’s at Hongbin’s place this month, then there’s only one game they’d have to worry about. “How good do you think you are at Uno?”

* * *

The gentle sound of water swishing can be heard as the human and alien stand in front of the sink, silently washing three days worth of dishes Jaehwan let stack up. The brunet tries to ignore the puffs of breath he can hear his guest exhale, the warmth prickling against his skin from the foreigner’s body. Hyuk reaches behind him for a second to grab a drying cloth, his lips practically ghosting over the back of Jaehwan’s neck. The older male closes his eyes for a second and exhales lightly, forcing himself not to think of those soft looking lips. 

He thinks back to a couple days back when he was in the shower, eyes shut and face right under the showerhead as he hummed to himself. He had let out a startled yell when he found the younger male staring at him from outside of the glass partition. 

_“Why don’t we shower together today?” the guest had asked._

_“Why should we?” Jaehwan had responded._

_“Why not?” Hyuk countered._

Jaehwan was about to say _because that’s what lovers do_ and Hyuk was ready to respond _then can’t we be lovers_? Instead the human blinked at Hyuk, nodding as he made room for the taller male. They took turns between lathering soap and shampoo and using the shower head, tensed shoulders relaxing with the trickles of warm water, goosebumps appearing under each other’s burning gaze. Neither of them commented on the thick air filled with steam and tension as they stepped out, pretending not to peek at each other as they changed into their clothes.

“Are you okay?” he hears Hyuk ask him, breaking Jaehwan out of his trance. 

He looks down to find his fingers pruning from being under the dishwater. He scowls as he rinses off the last plate, turning towards Hyuk as he nods, “Yep. I’m good.” He smiles. 

The alien lazily dries the plate in his hand, his gaze lingering on Jaehwan with something akin to... _want_. Jaehwan feels his cheeks heating up as he gulps, looking away and focusing on draining the sink of the dishwater. 

* * *

“You're late!” Hongbin shouts as he opens the door and steps back towards the kitchen.

Jaehwan walks in and bemoans “I _knowwwww_ Kong! It’s not my fault the driver took the wrong turn to get to my apartment _and then_ to get to yours.” He takes off his sneakers, motioning for Hyuk to come in, the alien hesitantly padding into the apartment.

He hears his friend scoffing “I thought you took in your car last week. Is it still in the shop?”

The webtoon artist scrunches his eyebrows, “I think it’s time to say goodbye to ‘ye old faithful...I don’t think she’s making it out of this one.” he sighs sadly.

“Good riddance! I for one am glad. You make more than enough money to buy a new, okay maybe a used _new_ car.” he hears Wonshik yell back from the kitchen.

“Har har.” Jaehwan mocks back, rolling his eyes as he turns to close the door. 

Before walking into the kitchen, he stops and thinks, reaching out for the stranger’s hand. Hyuk doesn’t even blink as he takes the older male’s hand into his larger one. Jaehwan finds himself blushing when he thinks of how the alien had the same reaction when the human told him they might need to pretend to be ‘seeing each other’ in front of his friends. 

_Okay_ was all he had said.

Jaehwan leads them both into the kitchen, his rowdy friends already sitting in the round table. A hush falls over the room as the webtoon artist awkwardly stands beside them. He tightens his hold on Hyuk’s hand and clears his throat, “Um guys, this is Hyuk.” He says introducing his guest. 

The alien glances over at Jaehwan before looking at the other males. He raises a hand and says a quiet “Hi.” 

The four sitting guys are silent until a man with black hair smooth, tan skin sitting in the center finally breaks the ice, “Huh, well I’ll be damned.” he smiles, “He _does_ have a type.” All of the other males break out in laughter, ignoring Jaehwan’s offended glare.

“Wh- that’s ridiculous. I _do not_ have a type.” he defends, pulling Hyuk along with him. 

A blond man with a cigarette dangling from his lips pulls a chair out and pats at the seat, motioning for Hyuk to sit down. The alien does so, muttering a _thank you_ as Jaehwan continues to blabber.

“Unbelievable, date a guy bigger than you _one time_ and all of sudden you _have a type_.” he scoffs.

“ONE time?!” the man with a buzz-cut shouts, guffawing as he does.

Jaehwan huffs, grabbing a pretzel from a bowl in the center and chucking it at him as Hyuk watches the shorter male in amusement.

The man in the center is still laughing, wiping away a tear from his eye as he says, “Okay, okay, fine you _don’t_ have a type, now will you introduce us to your _friend_?” he teases, raising an eyebrow towards Hyuk.

The brunet grumbles something unintelligible, turning towards Hyuk. He points at the guy he just threw a pretzel at, “This asshole is Wonshik,” moving to the dimpled guy who opened the door “that asshole is Hongbin,” skipping over the man in the center to the blond sitting next to the alien, “this jerk is Taekwoon,” finally moving back to the last guy with a grimace “and this dickwad is Hakeyon.”

Hyuk’s mouth drops, not used to hearing Jaehwan being this annoyed...it gives the alien some kind of funny feeling in his chest, like he wants to pinch the other’s cheek or something like maybe kiss the pout off of the human’s lips. The outsider turns to the rest of the table and nods, smiling as he says “Nice to meet you all.”

Hongbin takes a sip out of a beer can and scoffs, adding a dimpled smile “We’ll see how nice it is when I kick your ass in Uno.”

* * *

“That was fun.” Hyuk muses as he steps out of the apartment building. 

Jaehwan looks up from his phone screen, smiling at the outsider, teasing “Was it really, or you’re just saying that because you crushed them all in Uno?”

The taller male smirks to himself, a hint of satisfaction decorating his face. “Depends,” he starts off, “were you impressed?”

The older male pauses tapping on his phone, feeling his cheeks heating up. He glances up at the alien, a shy smile appearing on his face. He averts his eyes, clearing his throat. “So rideshare or walking? The closest driver is like fifteen minutes away. It might take like twenty minutes to walk there.” the older male asks his companion, thankful that Hongbin lives the closest to him of all of his friends.

Hyuk looks up at the sky and turns back to Jaehwan with a shrug, “I wouldn’t mind walking. ” 

The human nods with a grin, “Walking it is.”

They start walking towards the direction of Jaehwan’s apartment in tandem. The brunet closes his eyes and lets the evening breeze brush against his face. It’s not too chilly considering that it’s an autumn evening. They walk alongside each other, the leaves from nearby trees fall off of the branches, the wind carrying them away as the two walk on the bridge. Jaehwan peers down to see the reflection of the full moon on the river, sighing to himself. It is silent except for the light rustling of the branches and whooshing of the wind, yet, it feels just right.

“You know...I think they all liked you,” Jaehwan says, “all of them.”

Hyuk smiles to himself, his hand tucked into his jeans, “I’m glad they do.”

* * *

Hyuk walks over towards the human holding a glass of orange juice in one hand and a hot cup of chamomile in the other, passing Jaehwan the cup as soon as he reaches the couch. Jaehwan graciously takes the steaming beverage, murmuring out a thank you as he quickly places it on top of a coast on the coffee table. The outsider gives him a huge grin as he takes a sip of orange juice, sitting down right next to Jaehwan, arm reflexively moving over the human’s shoulder and rests on the couch.

The brunet feels the hair in the back of his neck standing from Hyuk's phantom arm over his shoulder, gulping when he hears the outsider exhale rather longingly. Brightness from the television and the neon billboards outside of his apartment are the only things illuminating the otherwise dark room. Conan’s monologue is the only sound in the room, save for the gentle, rhythmic breathing coming from both males. Hyuk laughs at some joke the comedian made, grabbing Jaehwan’s attention. The older male turns towards the alien, finding him smiling with crinkled eyes, mouth open in a breathless laugh. One thing Jaehwan discovered in the past month and a half is how obsessed Hyuk is with late-night tv, particularly Conan. _I’ve always been Team Coco_ he had once shrugged when the human asked him.

The alien finally faces him during a commercial break. Jaehwan smiles at the stranger he had met not so long ago, lying his head down on top of Hyuk’s arm in a daze. The taller male gazes back at him, not even breaking eye contact when the show comes back from the ad break. 

Jaehwan slowly tilts his head back up, eyes moving to Hyuk’s lips as he bites his own. He glances back up to Hyuk’s eyes and realizes the alien had been staring at his lips. The brunet sighs, softly asking, “Hyukkie,” a name he affectionately started calling the extraterrestrial about two weeks ago, “can I kiss you?”

The outsider’s eyes widen at the human, jaw dropping. “C-can you kiss me?” he asks in a pitch higher than his normal voice. He clears his throat and starts again, “Can _you_ kiss me? I-” he looks away for a second, running a hand through his black fringes, turning back to the human and saying “I should be asking you can _I_ kiss you?” he whispers back. 

The host chortles, licking his lips slowly as he thinks and stares at Hyuk. “Okay.” Jaehwan answers, getting up and sitting on the alien’s lap, the taller male’s hands immediately resting on the human’s hips. Jaehwan leans forward and connects their lips, mouths slowly molding against one another. 

Tilting his head, Hyuk moves a hand up and runs his fingers through Jaehwan’s brown hair, lightly grazing his fingertips against the human’s scalp. Jaehwan moans into the kiss, a hand moving up to caress the Hyuk’s neck, fueling the alien’s drive as he pushes his tongue into Jaehwan’s mouth. The brunet shudders, hips grinding down on Hyuk’s lap. 

A brush between both of their clothed erections causes the outsider to hiss, hand holding onto Jahwan’s hip tightening as he sucks on the older male’s bottom lip. Jaehwan in turn mewls against his mouth, grinding his crotch against Hyuk’s, pulling away ever so slightly, panting. Hyuk’s eyes follow as the human’s hand slowly moves down Hyuk’s neck, running along the taller male’s chest and abdomen, then stopping at the sweatpant’s band. Hyuk looks up to find the human sporting a boxy grin, a giggle escaping puffy lips.

Latching onto the waistband, Jaehwan pulls the sweats down just enough to free the hardened length, cock popping out and hitting Hyuk’s abdomen. The cool air causes the outsider to hiss, eyes fleeting back to find Jaehwan staring down at his length, running a finger up from the base to where precome is collecting at the tip. 

The human smirks at Hyuk as he moves his hand down to grip at the base, stroking the length up and down. The outsider throws his head back on the couch, lamenting over the sensation on his cock. Jaehwan moves up to reconnect their lips while he continues to jerk Hyuk off. 

Moaning against the human’s lips, Hyuk reaches his hand out to palm at Jaehwan’s cock. The brunet gasps against his lips, hips stuttering against his hand. The alien places a kiss on the older male’s cheek, moving his hand inside the sweatpants and stroking Jaehwan’s length, groaning when Jaehwan tightens his hold on Hyuk’s own cock.

Panting slightly, Jaehwan pulls back and mutters, “Wait, lemme just,” he moves up on Hyuk’s lap until their lengths are practically touching, then takes both of their cocks into his hand. They both moan in unison as the brunet starts to stroke them together. Hyuk moves one of his hands and wraps them around Jaehwan’s hold, eyes focused on the human’s reaction.

Jaehwan whimpers, lips parting, eyes scrunched shut. Hyuk removes Jaehwan’s hand and takes both of them back into his grip. He twists his hand in a particular manner and notices a shift in Jaehwan’s expression. It may be a miniscule change, but the alien notices it anyway. 

_"Hy-hyuk”_ the human whines, thrusting up against the alien’s cock. His arm collapses on the taller male’s shoulder as he struggles to hold his head up and gaze at the other. A shiver of pleasure runs down his spine and to his toes from the friction against Hyuk’s cock and the ministrations of the alien’s large hand. 

The outsider continues to stroke them both, grunts escaping his lips as he watches Jaehwan squirm on top of him, moans pouring out of his lips. He feels a burning coil at the pit of his pelvis causing his wrist to pick up the pace. Jaehwan’s moans begin to rise in pitch, finally ending in a crescendo as he paints Hyuk’s fist with white. The look of absolute debauchery on Jaehwan’s face sends the alien over the edge, coating his soiled hand and both of their cocks with more come. 

Jaehwan drops his head against Hyuk’s shoulder, gasping in air against the outsider’s ear. The taller male’s arm wraps around the human’s waist, holding him steady as he slowly lets go of their spent cocks. The brunet’s lips caresses Hyuk’s cheekbone then moving towards his lips. They share a lazy kiss, moving gingerly against one another. Jaehwan pulls away and dopily smiles.

“You taste like oranges.” he mutters against the alien’s lips.

* * *

_Red. Orange. Flames. Blood. Gray. Smoke. Purple. Screams._

“Hyuk!” The alien is shaken awake by Jaehwan, staring down at him with concern. 

The taller male quickly glances around and realizes where he is: in Jaehwan’s room tucked away in bed with the human. He looks up to find a concerned look on the human’s face; he had another night terror.

Jaehwan smiles, patting his cheek in a consoling matter, wiping away a couple of stray tears, “Hey, you okay baby? I’m here.” he whispers, placing a placating kiss on his cheek. 

The alien nods, despite shivering. In the six months he’s been on earth with Jaehwan, his nightmares haven’t been as bad as they have the past couple of weeks. Always the same, always vague. He never sees any actual faces or hears any recognizable voices. 

_Red. Orange. Flames. Blood. Gray. Smoke. Purple. Screams._

And a feeling of absolute dread crawling up his chest and out of his throats. 

His hand wraps around Jaehwan, pulling the human’s head onto his shoulder, “I-i’m fine.” he whispers out, running his hands through Jaehwan’s hair, eyes wide as he stares at the ceiling. “I’m sorry for waking you up.” he says, guilt coursing through his chest. 

Jaehwan sighs against his ears, moving up to place a peck on his lips. “How many times do I tell you: don’t apologize. I don’t care about waking up, as long as you’re okay and here with me, okay?” he says, beaming at the alien in his bed as he says _“I love you, you know.”_

Hyuk peers back at the human and smiles back, _“I love you too.”_

* * *

A loud siren is going off in the distance, adding to the feeling of uneasiness. People in the grocery store’s parking lot are running amok, trying to shield themselves from the incoming slews of burning rocks raining down on them. Explosions and fire surround them as more of these rocks fall, more people are hit. Red and orange. Fire. Blood. Screams.

Hyuk stands frozen, eyes widened as he stares at the sky illuminated by neon purple and thousands upon thousands of meteorites, all surrounded by the similar neon glow. The similar neon purple illuminating the sky with fiery rocks raining down on his own planet. 

He feels a hand on his shoulder, Jaehwan frantically shaking him out of his trance, “Hyukie, we need to go!” he yells.

The alien slowly turns to Jaehwan, a tear running down his cheek “I remember.” he says in a shaky voice. “I remember why I’m here….how I got here.”

Jaehwan stares at him with wide eyes, spluttering, “Wh-what? What do you-” a harsh, blaring noise causing him to look up. The brunet’s jaw drops; there in the sky are hundreds, _hundreds_ of gray saucers. 

Hyuk gasps remembering those same saucers, remembers the long humanoid gray beings towering over them all, remembers being flicked off with an asteroid from his planet, his screams drowning into the surrounding stars. “I was sent here as a warning...that they’re coming.” He shudders. 

The brunet snaps his head at Hyuk in panic, trembling mouth opening to say something, but no sounds coming out.

He grabs Jaehwan’s wrist and rushes out “We have to get out of here.” looking around for an opening and running.

They run and run, neon purple lighting up the entire sky. Jaehwan spots a field with long stalks, pulling on Hyuk’s arm. “This way!” he shouts, moving towards it. They run as fast as their feet let them until a flaming rock crashes right in front of Jaehwan, Hyuk pulling the human away just in time. The brunet coughs, wheezing as the smoke clogs up his airway. Hyuk drags him away, moving away from the sizzling meteorite as he looks for another opening only to find a gray saucer lining above it. Jaehwan takes in a deep breath, pulling the alien in the other direction, yelping when another burning rock drops to the ground. 

The pair look around frantically for an opening only to find none. Hyuk turns to Jaehwan. With shaky hands, the alien holds Jaehwan’s face, covered in gray soot and drying tears, brown matted fringes sticking to his forehead. 

Jaehwan stares back at the stranger he had met just a few months back on a field just like this, quivering lips breaking into a sad smile, eyes peering into his own. 

Hyuk sighs, connecting their lips, giving Jaehwan a lingering kiss. They part ways and grin at each other, both of them looking up in the sky of neon purple.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, here me out...I am not an expert on space or the state of Washington (I live in the mid-west) but a google search told me that Washington has a high number of UFO spottings so... yeah. As far as the space-related science, I did a lot of googling haha _buttt_ some of the things mentioned on here is factual (I think) and I thought was kind of interesting in a freak-me-out-type of way lol Please excuse any typos & I hope the spacing isn't too awful. I know there are a lot of things I could've gone more in depth in, like Jaehwan's job or Sanghyuk's planet, but I hope that this is still good. I've worked kind of hard on this fic after work the past few days and I hope you guys enjoy it!
> 
> The title is based on the song "Sleepwalk" by Santo & Johnny and [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ziv_kJTs-Fc) is a slow-downed version of the song I listened to on repeat while writing this.  
> Feel free to follow me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/3star4life)!


	22. The Labyrinth (ChaBin)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pairing: Hakyeon/Hongbin (ChaBin)  
> Rating: T (because there's one hand-job joke)  
> Prompt: labyrinth/ "it's just the wind"  
> Warning: none

“Did you hear that? What was that?!” Hakyeon demands, eyes startled, glancing every which way.

“It’s just the wind.” Hongbin deadpans back. 

The older male crinkles his nose at his boyfriend, shaking his head. “Oh to be so young and naive.” he mutters. He gives a quick glance towards a red winter scarf someone must’ve lost.

It has been at least an hour since the pair had gotten lost inside the labyrinth, the October evening breeze growing chillier as the night passes, the sky above getting darker. “Why on earth did I let you convince me to get into a corn maze? Now we’re all alone and about to die out here.”

“We’re not going to _die_ out here.” Hongbin coaxes the older male, shrugging. “But since we are all alone, wanna jerk each other off?” he teasingly adds.

Hakyeon snaps his head towards the other, “You foolish child! Haven’t you seen any movies? The killer _always_ strikes the teenagers while they’re partaking in sexual activities!” he hysterically yells.

The younger male rolls his eyes, “But we’re not even teenagers Yeon…” as they stop at a crossroad, glancing at either side of the maze. “I think it’s left.” he calmly says. 

“But it’s so much darker that way.” Hakyeon brings up, “Shouldn’t the way with the opening have more light?” 

Hongbin sighs, “I don’t know but sure, let’s go to the right.” he says dragging his feet that way. 

“Wait!” the older male yells, “Fine let’s go left.”

“What about the right having more light?”

Hakyeon eyes the right suspiciously, “I don’t know...my gut tells me not to go that way.”

The younger male looks that way and shrugs, “Okay, let’s go.” he says, taking his boyfriend’s hand and moving towards the left. 

A good fifteen minutes must have passed as they walk in silence, the only noise being the sound of their shoes against the dirt and the crickets in the field. Hakyeon sighs as he walks, “I’m sorry for yelling at you earlier.” Frowning, he adds “I’m just really frustrated Bin. It's dark and cold and I just wanna get out of here.”

Hongbin exhales, turning to the other “I know.” he chuckles, flashing a dimpled grin. "We'll get out of here soon baby, I promise." he says as the moonlight reflecting off of the straight white teeth. 

With a nod, Hakyeon gives a reassured smile back.

A rustle of the corn stalk grabs both of their attention. The duo look around, not exactly sure where the noise came from. 

“Did you hear that? What was that?” Hakyeon whispers, turning to the younger. 

“Uh,” Hongbin starts off “I don’t know. Maybe it’s just the wind?” 

Hakyeon scrunches his eyebrows, holding the bridge of his nose. “You said that before.”

The other blinks at Hakyeon, in confusion, “I did?” 

“Yes,” Hakyeon starts off, “yes you did.”

Hongbin opens his mouth and closes it again. “Huh.” 

Hakyeon scans the area around them, snapping his head back when he notices something. He walks closer to it: a forgotten red winter scarf someone must have lost.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not at all what I initially planned to write. A short one!   
> Feel free to follow me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/3star4life) ^_^


	23. Walk in the room, take off your coat (HyukBin)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pairing: Sanghyuk/Hongbin (HyukBin)  
> Rating: G  
> Prompt: midnight/ "I don't remember'  
> Warning: uh...I don't want to spoil anything, but nothing bloody

_“Heaven is a place on earth”_ the speakers blare throughout the entire grocery store as Sanghyuk mindlessly walks through the aisle dropping a bag of chips into his cart, the gray hood of his sweatshirt pulled over his head, dark brown fringes peeking out, his jacket unzipped. 

A group of teenagers run by, snickering as they grab a family-sized bag of toilet paper, four cartons of eggs already in their hands. Sanghyuk watches them with indifference. Looks like someone’s house is getting attacked tonight...but would it be Halloween if some teens didn't vandalize something? He pushes his cart to the next aisle, eyes scanning the instant noodles on the shelf, not paying any attention to the tall figure on the other side of the aisle. Not paying attention until-

_“Sanghyuk?”_ a familiar voice calls out. 

His hand freezes on the ramen bowl he was grabbing, eyes widening in recognition. Sanghyuk slowly turns his head towards that voice, fingers shaking a little. There, standing in front of the pasta sauces is the person he had been longing to see for the past three years, yet dreading to ever meet again: Lee Hongbin. 

Hongbin looks exactly the same, dressed in the same black turtleneck and beige overcoat he had seen the older male wearing the last time they saw each other. His black hair is neatly combed with the fringes falling down over his forehead in the shape of a comma. A wide smile breaks out on his handsome face, dimples just as pretty as Sanghyuk had remembered them. He gulps blinking at the older male. “Hongbin.” 

The said male leisurely walks over towards him as Sanghyuk remains frozen in his place. “Dear God, how long has it been?!” the other says enthusiastically, approaching Sanghyuk with open arms, going in for a tight hug. 

“I don’t remember…” Sanghyuk whispers, eyes still widened in surprise. But he does, in fact, remember: it had been two years and eleven months.

Hongbin lets go of the other, chuckling as he playfully punches Sanghyuk’s arm. “You grew taller, you rascal!” he says, a boxy grin still gracing his face. 

The younger male blinks, nodding, “Yes.” he whispers. His mouth opens and closes, mind rushing to find the right thing to say as words swarm through his brain, but none come out. _Where have you been? When did you come back? How long are you here? Why did you have to leave? I missed you so much! Please don’t leave again! Please stay. I love you!_

He takes a shaky breath in, his heart pounding against his chest. Hongbin glances down at the shopping cart and looks back up at Sanghyuk with a raised eyebrow. “Do you have a lot of shopping left?” 

Sanghyuk looks down in his shopping cart, containing two bags of chips. He looks up at the other and shakes his head, putting up the ramen cup in his hand. 

* * *

The leaves crunch under their feet as they walk. Sanghyuk looks forward, avoiding to stare at the man next to him. He tries to ignore the way his heart is leaping over their close proximity. 

Hongbin clears his throat, “So,” he starts, “how have you been?” 

Sanghyuk nods, still refusing to turn towards the older male. “I’ve been okay.” he replies in a meek voice, hoping the shiver in his shoulder can be attributed to the chilly breeze.

The man next to him sighs, “That’s good to hear.” he says.

Taking in a deep breath, Sanghyuk cannot help but scoff. “Oh, is it?” he asks bitterly, a tone lidden with poison.

Hongbin doesn’t say anything, eyes looking ahead as they continue to walk.

“W-why did you have to leave?” Sanghyuk asks in a broken voice, stopping and turning his head towards the other, eyes brimming with tears.

The older male pauses next to him, glancing at Sanghyuk with a sad smile, sighing. “I just did.” he responds in a quiet voice “I wish I didn't.” 

Sanghyuk chokes on a sob, tears falling down his cheek “Then don’t. Don’t leave now. Stay!” 

Tiling his head, Hongbin gives him a sad smile, gulping “I can’t.” 

Rubbing a frustrated hand over his face, Sanghyuk turns back to the shorter male, “And why not? Why can’t you stay?” he demands, lips quivering in agonizing rage. Deep down he knows he probably looks like a petulant child but he can’t help it.

Hongbin casts his eyes down to the ground, lips forming a dejected grin, shrugging his shoulder miserably, _“Because.”_

“Because what?!” Sanghyuk shouts, thankful that no one else is in the park. He takes in a pained breath, voice wavering as he adds _“I love you.”_

The shorter male sucks in his bottom lip, finally glancing back up at Sanghyuk. “I know.” he says, licking his lips and muttering “I love you too.” 

Sanghyuk blinks, lips parted as he lets out a trembling breath, whispering _“Then stay.”_

A breeze blows around them, shaking the leaves of the trees, gingerly grazing over Hongbin’s hair. He stares at Sanghyuk with a blank expression, hands tucked into the pockets of his coat, a perplexed expression on his face. _“I just can’t_.” he murmurs.

The younger male looks down on the ground, trying to ignore the painful clenching around his heart. “Then why’d you come back right now…” he mumbles. 

Hongbin walks over to him, pulling him into a hug. Sanghyuk rests his head on the shorter male’s shoulders, arms shakily circling the thin waist. He feels the older male’s fingers grazing over his hair. 

“I just wanted to see you...and say goodbye one last time.” Hongbin whispers. 

Sanghyuk picks his head up to look at the other, dazed and confused, blinking through the tears blurring his vision. 

The other smiles at him, leaning in and pressing a soft, chaste kiss against his lips. Hongbin pulls away with a sorrowful smile “Take care Sanghyuk.” 

Sanghyuk opens his eyes to find nothing in front of him, sniffling as his blinks. “Goodbye Hongbin.”

* * *

Hongbin mindlessly walks through the graveyard before stopping in front of his grave. He stares at the tombstone with indifference, turning his head towards the clocktower next to the cemetery. 

_Midnight_.

He sighs, _“Till next year."_ he whispers as he slowly vanishes. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one made me sad even writing it. The title is inspired by "Michelle" by Sir Chloe, which I've listened to on a loop while writing this. 
> 
> [Here's](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5KzxEm34Ig) a slowed, reverb vers with a lower pitch (but the original is also *chef's kiss*)  
> Feel free to follow me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/3star4life)!


	24. Initiation (NaVi)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pairing: Wonshik/Hakyeon (NaVi)  
> Rating: T  
> Prompt: tattoo/ "don't cry"  
> Warning: mentions of pain (I guess)

_Don’t cry_ he orders himself, trying to hold back the unwilling tears brimming in his eyes. Wonshik scrunches his eyebrows, hissing at the pain coursing through his arm as the blow torch burns into his skin. He snaps his eyes open at the ceiling, golden brown irises gleaming brightly as growls loudly. 

Jaehwan holds his other arm down as Sanghyuk pushes his shoulders down, his body convulsing from the searing agony, trying to push away the only words appearing in his head.

_Pain. Pain._

Wonshik’s body is cladded with multiple tattoos, but this one is different, this one is special, this one hurts like a motherfucker. The muscles on his neck strain as another roar pushes its way through his throat. 

“It’s almost done! Just keep holding on!” he hears Hongbin shout at him. 

Clenching his jaw and gritting his teeth, Wonshik continues to look at the ceiling, waiting for the torment to end. He hears the blow torch turn off, the shooting pain stilling into a throb. He looks down to see Taekwoon put the instrument away, a lit cigarette hanging from his lips. Taking a puff, the older male puts out the stick on the table next to him. He turns to his side, “I think it looks good.”

Wonshik feels the hands holding him down. He shakily turns towards the mirror observing the black print on his skin: two opposing _V_ s placed on top of one another, the roman numerals _XIX_ etched in the center, creating a sharp six-pointed star. Angry red skin surrounds the symbol, faint smoke leaving the print.

He feels someone close up to him, subconsciously causing Wonshik to sit up, back straight, shoulders tense. Hakyeon places one hand on the back of the chair and rests his forearm on the table below the mirror, slightly locking Wonshik in. The older male looks at the final product through the mirror with a hum, his hot breath grazing against Wonshik’s neck. The younger male closes his eyes, trying to ignore the shiver going down his spine. He eyes flicker down to Hakyeon’s forearm, an excited buzz coursing through his blood, competing with the numbing pain of the tattoo. Hakyeon’s black dress shirt is folded up half-way up his forearm, revealing the well-defined muscles and slightly bulging veins. Wonshik’s eyes focus on the older male’s matching tattoo, half hidden below the sleep. He swallows the lump in his throat and shifts his eyes back up.

Hakyeon in turns gives a satisfied smile, baring his sharp canines, brown eyes flashing to a shining red, locking with Wonshik’s reflection. “Welcome to the pack.” he says and pats Wonshik on the shoulder, moving away from the younger male.

  
Wonshik nods, glancing down to look at the black ink around his bicep. He turns to look at the rest of the pack, the rest of _his_ pack. He smiles to himself, _“Th_ _e pack.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The tattoo design I'm imagining is [this](https://images.app.goo.gl/8RDqZnxiEh9TDoEZ7), because what else would a VIXX-pact ~~cult~~ get a tattoo of? Rovixx? Lol I kid, I kid. Also [here's](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DemCcyCU0AIRnpZ?format=jpg&name=large) a photo of Hakyeon that had a starlight comment "i want hakyeon's forearm in me" 😌
> 
> Inspired by how Scott got his tattoo on _Teen Wolf_.


	25. The Other-Mother (platonic-ChaSang)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pairing: Sanghyuk/Hakyeon (platonic ChaSang; no romantic pairings)  
> Rating: G  
> Prompt: song/ "just say yes"  
> Warning: none

“Sanghyuk, what are you still doing up? Don’t you have school tomorrow?!” Hakyeon yells from across the dorm, storming into the living room. He stops right in front of the maknae, wavy brown fringes covering his disappointed, scrunched eyebrows, hands on his hips.

_“Oooh,_ someone’s in trouble!” Sanghyuk hears Jaehwan tease from behind the camera he’s holding. 

“Stop it!” He hisses from his place on the floor, turning towards Hakyeon.

“I know, I know, I’m going to bed. We were just filming for MTV Diar-”

“And what is that smell? Oh my god, Sanghyuk go wash your feet right away. They smell awful! Quickly, quickly!” the oldest scolds, pulling Sanghyuk up and pushing him towards the bathroom.

Sanghyuk’s jaw drops at how loudly their leader just said that, in front of the camere, footage which _thousands_ of people will see. He rushes off to the bathroom, partially in embarrassment and partially because he doesn’t feel like hearing Hakyeon’s complaints anymore.

_“I can’t believe you just said that! Can we air that?”_ he overhears Hongbin saying as he walks into the bathroom, groaning as he steps into the tub to wash his feet. Hakyeon is _the worst_. He dries off his feet and brushes his teeth, irritated that he has to go to bed while everyone else (with the exception of a snoozing Wonshik) is up joking around. While rinsing, his eyes move to the face-products he normally uses for his night care routine. He scoffs, drying off his face. Not doing the routine for just _one night_ isn’t going to ruin his skin.

Stepping out of the bathroom, he starts to drag his feet to Wonshik and his shared bedroom, unwillingly pouting when he sees Jaehwan doing a hilarious Spider-Man impression. Hongbin’s cracking up as he holds the camera, recording the hilarious main vocal. Even Taekwoon is laughing from his place on the floor. _Even Taekwoon!_ All this fun and he has to miss out because he has school in the morning. Why can’t he just miss school _one day_?

_Because one day will turn to two days and two days to three days and then next thing we know you’re dropping out, Sanghyuk, and then you’ll never know how to do math. Do you know how important it is for you to know math, Sanghyuk? Just in general, for life? Do you?_ Hakyeon’s whiney voice nags at him in his head.

He’s about to enter the room when Hakyeon steps in front of him, arms folded. “And did you brush your teeth?” the leader asks sternly.

Rolling his eyes, Sanghyuk mutters _“Yes mom.”_ He makes a move to go into his room when Hakyeon’s hand stops him.

“ _And_ did you do your night care routine?” 

Sanghyuk wants to scoff, tell the oldest to fuck off and that _no_ he didn’t do it because he’s _almost_ an adult and he does _not_ need a twenty-something-year-old to tell him what to do. But that would just lead to more lecturing from the leader and he doesn’t feel like dealing with it. Instead Sanghyuk exhales exaggeratingly and groans another _“Yes moooom.”_

Hakyeon does not move right away, instead squints his eyebrows and purses his lips in suspicion. Sanghyuk stops himself from gulping, because that would give away his lie. The maknae stands his ground, challenging the leader to say something else. Hakyeon finally sighs, moving away from the door, “Okay then. Have a good night kid!” he says, ruffling Sanghyuk’s hair. 

The maknae groans as he walks into his room, glaring at Hakyeon. As soon as he enters his room, he is greeted by the obnoxious snoring of his roommate. Sanghyuk closes his eyes and sighs, holding the bridge of his nose, hoping he can find some semblance of peace and sleep tonight. He glances over at the clock next to Wonshik and practically whimpers. The time reads _3:30 am_ and he has to be up by 6:45. 

He hears the rest of the members laughing outside in the living room, Jaehwan cracking some joke in his ahjumma voice. Sanghyuk groans thinking about how he will have to be up in three hours to get ready for school. He drags his feet over to the door of their closet, grumbling as he hangs a set of his uniform jacket and pants in front of the door. He yawns, rubbing his eyes as he starts to close the closet door until something catches his eyes. 

There on the floor of the closet is an innocent button shaped key. Sanghyuk blinks, slowly moving down to pick it up, wondering where it could have come from. His eyes move up to find a door in the back of the closet and sees a small, square door. The maknae blinks; was that always there? The door in question looks like it was just carved into the wall with a thin knife. He carefully reaches over and runs his fingertip over a ridge that one might call a door handle. Of course, this handle was so thin he could barely pull it with his fingertips. 

Sanghyuk would have thought that perhaps this was just some quirky design the architect of the apartment had thrown on last minute and this wasn’t an actual door. He _would_ have thought that had it not been for the glowing greenish light coming from the cracks and the keyhole.

Looking down at the key he just found, Sanghyuk shrugs. He pushes the key into the keyhole and turns, the door immediately opening on its own, revealing an enticing glowing tunnel with hues of teal and magenta, noticing another door at the end of the tunnel. Where would this door even go to? The living room? Hongbin’s room? Ever so curious, Sanghyuk crawls inside.

The closer he gets to the room, the more vibrant the colors become. Soon enough, he’s close to the other door and he’s turning the knob. Pushing the door aside, he crawls out of the tunnel and into a closet. He walks out of the closet and stands, rather confused when he realizes it’s his own room. Glancing at Wonshik’s bed, he sees that his roommate is still fast asleep, however no longer snoring. _That’s a first,_ Sanghyuk thinks to himself. _I’ll have to check if he’s dead later_ , he adds on an afterthought. 

He sighs, ready to pad on over to his bed, when he hears music coming from the living room. Sanghyuk pauses, looking at the bright lights coming out from under the door. He slowly walks over and opens the door, stepping into the living room. Well, it _looks like_ their living room, except where the walls were previously a bland beige and the lights were dull, it’s now colorful. Hues of orange and pink line the wall.

Sanghyuk’s eyes widen with surprise to find Taekwoon sitting on a grand piano situated in the middle of the living room, the older male’s back to him, as an easy-going song plays out loud. He looks around to find the back of Hongbin and Jaehwan’s head on a couch, playing a video game on a large flat-screen. _But we don’t have a piano or a television…_ he wonders to himself. 

He hears a light honey-like sweet voice singing a song in the kitchen. Sanghyuk walks towards the singing, eyebrows scrunched up. He walks in to find Hakyeon’s back turned to him, the older male washing dishes in the sink, singing to himself. Sanghyuk clears his throat, “Hey Hakyeon,”

Hakyeon immediately stops singing, hands freezing in the sink, head snapping up. “Hyukie? Is that you?” the leader says with a light lilt to his voice, slowly turning towards Sanghyuk.

The maknae gulps, preparing himself for their leader’s wrath, demanding to know why the youngest isn’t in bed and fast asleep. “Uh, yeah.” he says, wincing.

The piano music has stopped and he doesn’t hear the video game effects anymore. Looking around the room he realizes they have stopped. Sanghyuk turns his head back to Hakyeon, watching as the older male finishes rinsing his hands and shaking off the excess water, drying off any residual wetness on a towel. He slowly turns around to face Sanghyuk with a breathy chuckle. “Why Sanghyuk,” he starts off fully facing the maknae, “I have been waiting for you.”

Sanghyuk gasps, moving back and falling on the ground, a scream forming in his throat but refusing to come out. The leader stands in front of him, tilting his head at Sanghyuk, lips pulling to one side in confusion, his previous brown eyes replaced with shiny black _buttons_.

“W-what the fuck happened to your eyes?!” Sanghyuk shouts, trying to back away on the floor. 

The leader’s lips move down into a frown. “Sanghyuk what are you talking about?” he calmly asks as he slowly closes up to the youngest. 

A hand on Sanghyuk’s shoulder causes him to pause. He looks up with trembling eyes to find Taekwoon hovering above him, sporting a similar button-eyes. “You okay there, maknae?” the main vocal asks him in his usual quiet voice. Squawking loudly, Sanghyuk pulls away from Taekwoon. 

“Y-your eyes too!” Sanghyuk shouts, pointing at Taekwoon.

He hears Hakyeon chuckling in amusement, “That’s because you’re in the _Other_ -world, silly.” Sanghyuk snaps his head towards the leader, confusion and terror etched in his face. Hakyeon has a wide, toothy grin plastered on his face, as crouches down to Sanghyuk’s level, glistening button-eyes peering at the youngest, tilting his head as he gently pats the maknae’s shoulder. “I’m _Other-Hakyeon,_ this is _Other-Taekwoon_ ; we all have button eyes here.” he says in a cheery voice, patting Sanghyuk on his cheek. 

Sanghyuk watches the leader in horror, eyes widened, jaw dropped. He turns his gaze towards the couch to find Jaehwan and Hongbin staring at him with similar wide buttons. Gulping he looks back at Hakyeon. The oldest hums, as he stands up, heading back to the kitchen “Did you come out to play with Kong and Jyani? I think they were waiting for you to come out.” 

Taekwoon gently pulls Sanghyuk up by his arms, patting his back as he ushers him towards the couch, a faint smile on his face. 

“ _Hyoagie_ , you’re finally joining us!” an excited Jaehwan chirps with a toned-down, syrupy voice while bouncing in his seat, ash blond hair matted over his head, prominent pointed nose knocking into Sanghyuk’s cheeks as the main vocal pulls him down a little too quickly on the couch. Sanghyuk blinks at the blond, looking so _similar_ to his _hyung_ yet _so different_ , as if he _is_ Jaehwan, but an _other_ -Jaehwan.

He turns over to Hongbin, who’s busy shoving some pretzels in his mouth, fluffy black hair bouncing with each move. It isn’t until the visual turns to him with a controller that Sanghyuk remembers the black buttons the older male has for his eyes. Sanghyuk looks down at the controller placed on his lap. He hesitantly turns around, yelping when he finds a smiling Hakyeon, or _Other-_ Hakyeon right behind him. 

“What’s wrong?” the _other-_ leader asks him, tone laced with saccharine-sweetness, so different than his usual whineness.

Sanghyuk just shakes his head, “Oh, it’s just...I thought I had to go to bed for school.” he finds himself whispering. 

_Other-_ Hakyeon tilts his head and stares at Sanghyuk with a wide smile, button eyes unblinking. In a sudden, the leader bursts out with a boisterous laugh. One by one, all of the _other_ members join in, cackling with their full chests. He turns to find _Other-_ Hongbin clutching onto his belly and even _Other-_ Taekwoon guffawing on the floor.

“ _Aww_ , our little baby is so cute!” he hears Jaehwan, or perhaps, _Other-_ Jaehwan coos from beside him, pinching Sanghyuk’s cheek. The maknae blinks up when the oldest comes in front of him, patting his cheek affectionately.

“Oh my dear Sanghyuk, you don’t have to worry about that.” he says, endearment evident in his tone. 

Sanghyuk glances around him for a second, feeling slightly unsettled with the _Other’s_ shiny button eyes and plastered smiles on him. He nods as he asks, “Uh...I don’t?”

_Other-_ Hakyeon puts his hands on his hips, similar to how he had a mere half hour ago when he told the maknae to get ready for bed. Reaching a hand out, the oldest musses the mop of hair on Sanghyuk’s head. “ _Silly little maknae,_ ” he starts off, “this is the _Other-world_... you don’t have to go to school here. Ever!” 

The youngest opens and closes his mouth, unsure of what to say. _Other-_ Hakyeon grins, tilting his head and presenting a box to Sanghyuk. The maknae hesitantly takes the small brown box, neatly wrapped with a pretty black bow. “You know,” he hears the _Other-_ Hakyeon say, “you can join us too.” Sanghyuk raises an eyebrow at the leader, looking back down at the box. The oldest chuckles, “Why don’t you open it?” 

Sanghyuk turns to look at the _Others_ , all nodding their head in excitement, _Yes open it Hyoagie, come on open it!_ He picks on the ribbon with his fingertips, gingerly pulling the tie loose. Removing the fabric from the box, he opens the containers and gasps; nuzzled in the middle of the box between soft, white cottons are two _innocent_ , shiny black buttons.

He looks up at _Other_ -Hakyeon grinning at him widely, head leaning to the side “All you have to do... _is say yes_.” he bares his teeth, his black buttons shining at Sanghyuk. His smile widens and voice becomes deep _“Just say yes.”_

“Uh…” the maknae starts out, peering around him to find the _Others_ waiting for his response, an expecting smile gracing their faces. “Yeah...sure…” he responds, nervously chuckling. All of the _Others_ rejoice, while he slowly stands, “I’m just going to get some water from the kitchen real quick.” 

_Other-_ Taekwoon puts a hand on his shoulder, beaming at Sanghyuk, “No need to get up maknae, I’ll go get it for you.” 

Sanghyuk nods, whispering “Thank you.” with a forced chuckle as he continues to stand. 

“Why don’t you sit down Hyoagie?” the _Other_ -Jaehwan coaxes, patting the spot next to him. 

The youngest compresses his lips, forcing out a smile and he mumbles, “Mmm-hmm, um I think I’m just going to use the bathroom real quick.” he rushes out, feet padding towards the direction of the bathroom and his bedroom. He is a mere few footsteps away from his room, his hand already feeling the phantom doorknob in his palm, when _Other_ -Hakyeon steps in front of him sporting a lop-sided grin, hand holding up a sharp _needle_. 

“Where ya going Hyukie?” his grin slopes up to a smirk, “The bathroom’s right behind you.” 

Sanghyuk gulps, a mock-smile still gracing his face as he laughs, “Ah is that right?” he chuckles nervously, yawning loudly, “Well boy, I sure must be tired. All I can think about is just cuddling right into my bed, wrapping myself with my warm blanket.” he babbles, slowly moving around _Other_ -Hakyeon and reaching for the doorknob. The leader’s gaze follows him, smirk morphing into something akin to a conniving grimace. Sanghyuk chuckles once more, “So I’m just gonna hit the hay, ya know?” he says, hand turning the knob.

He barely pushes the door when the older’s hand grabs his wrist. Sanghyuk slowly turns up to look at _Other_ -Hakyeon. From his periphery he sees the _Others_ closing up to him. “Oh _Sanghyuk,"_ _Other-_ Hakyeon laments, tenderly pulling Sanghyuk’s hand away from the doorknob, cocking his head as he states, _“but you didn't even do your night care routine.”_

The maknae blinks at the leader and sighs. He pushes _Other_ -Hakyeon with all his force and bursts through the door of his room. 

_“Get him!”_ he hears somewhere from behind him as Sanghyuk rushes to the closet, nearly tripping on a pair of shoes on the way. The maknae yanks the closet door open, pushing away boxes that _were not previously there_ to find the flat door against the wall, turning the key inside the keyhole. The door opens to reveal the tunnel, no longer illuminated with vibrant colors but instead darkened with hues of blue and gray and black. 

He’s about to crawl in when a hand on his shoulder pulls him back. Sanghyuk snaps his head back, eyes locking with two shiny black buttons. _Other-_ Wonshik bends down to get eye-level chuckling, “Oh Sanghyuk,” he says, “leaving so soon?” he nearly snarls, trying to pull the maknae back into the room. Sanghyuk screams, kicking his _roommate_ in the chest, ignoring the groan _Other-_ Wonshik makes.

The shuffling of feet nears him and he hurries and shuts the door, scurrying down the dark tunnel and towards the faint yellow light from the opposing door. Sanghyuk pounds out the door and slams it close behind him, panting harshly; he is back in the dull dark closet shared by him and Wonshik. With shaky hands, he pushes a few boxes against the door, hoping that would be enough to prevent someone from opening it. He tiptoes over to the bed and quickly climbs in under the covers, lying down and shutting his eyes tight, shivering slightly. He can hear Jaehwan making some joke outside in a boisterous voice, far from the syrupy one he had heard just a few moments back. Soon after he hears a familiar nagging voice yelling at Taekwoon for eating a snack so late at night, tone no longer saccharine-sweet. Sanghyuk sighs as sleep finds him. 

* * *

“ _Sanghyuk_!” he hears a grumbling voice call him. “Sanghyuk you need to wake up! You have to get ready for school.” Sanghyuk opens his eyes to find Hakyeon over his bed; Hakyeon, with his bed hair and dark bags under his tired, real, human eyes. Sanghyuk hops up and wraps his arms around Hakyeon in a tight embrace, a small whimper possibly leaving his mouth. He glances over to find a snoring Wonshik on the bed next to him, arm hanging off of the bed, face flat against his pillow, closed _eyes_ instead of buttons.

The leader confusedly pats Sanghyuk’s shoulder before pulling away as he walks towards the bedroom door, “Okay, okay, enough hugging. Go brush your teeth and wash your face. And don’t forget to put on deodorant, okay? I’ll leave out the Special K and a bowl of milk, but mark my words, if you’re not out of here in fifteen minutes, I will drag you out by your ear.” he huffs, shooting Sanghyuk a pointed glare before heading out.

The maknae sits on his bed and blinks for several seconds. He takes in a deep breath and walks over to the bathroom. After washing up and brushing his teeth, he comes back to his room to find Wonshik now on his back, mouth wide open as the rapper continues to snore. Sanghyuk finds himself scowling as he changes into his uniform, wondering how a bug doesn’t crawl into the older male’s mouth, softening his expression when he remembers how he had kicked his roommate, or well his _Other_ roommate, right in the chest just a couple hours ago. He reminds himself to do something nice for the rapped when he comes home. 

_Speaking of Others_...

Glancing at his closet, he gulps. He quickly peeks inside, sliding the box over to find nothing behind it. Shaking his head and rubbing his eyes, he touches the wall: smoothness. Not a single crack, line, or dent on the wall. “I must’ve just imagined that.” he whispers to himself.

“Han Sanghyuk, come out now!” Hakyeon yells from the living room. 

He is about to yell back a response when he remembers a sleeping Wonshik in his room and Jaehwan in the room right next to theirs. On any other day, he wouldn’t care about waking Wonshik up, but considering he is feeling a little bad about kicking the older male, he decides to let it be. With a sigh, he moves the boxes back, standing up and fixing the wrinkles in his pants. He turns off the light and rushes out of the room, the button shaped key unseen by him lying on the floor next to the box. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some early day VIXX-babies! Inspired by the movie _Coraline_ (especially w/ how Jaehwan draws VIXX's eyes; it always reminded me of button eyes hehe). The [MTV Diary](https://youtu.be/ckjCz3DZ3sM?t=334) moment I'm referring to (I'm sure Sanghyuk wasn't as upset as I made him sound lol). Hope you all enjoy this!
> 
> Feel free to follow me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/3star4life)!


	26. Sweet Rose (KenVi)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pairing: Wonshik/Jaehwan (KenVi)  
> Rating: T  
> Prompt: rose/ "please...please just run"  
> Warning: mentions of death...nothing bloody

The couple stumble into the deserted mansion, taking cover from the pouring rain. They shush each other through giggles when Wonshik knocks into a broken chair, falling to the ground. “Wonshik, you’re gonna get us in trouble.” Jaehwan snickers as the younger male struggles to get off of his ass. Wonshik finally stands up and wraps his arms around Jaehwan, nuzzling his wet jet-black hair into the brunet’s neck. “Goddammit, Wonshik!” the shorter male squawks, making a disgusted face as he pushes the other away. 

He’s busy shaking away the excess rain water off of his dark brown fringes when Wonshik makes puppy eyes at him, a forcefing a pout, “Now is that how you should be talking to your fiance?” 

Jaehwan rolls his eyes and pushes the taller male playfully, scoffing. “Yeah, fiance of _two hours_. Calm down Mr. Kim, I could still change my mind, you know.” 

Gasping loudly, Wonshik places a hand over his chest, dramatically whispering “Mr. Lee, you wouldn’t dare break my heart like that? After all we’ve been through? In Paris, of all places?!”

The older male scoffs at Wonshik once more, bringing his fiance in to place a quick peck on his lips. “I would never do that.” he mumbles against the other’s lips, giggling when the taller male pulls him closer and goes in for a deeper kiss. Jaehwan sighs against the younger male’s mouth, a lazy smile gracing his face. 

Perhaps roaming around a city they’ve never been in, a little tipsy on wine and love, and getting caught in the rain isn’t the _safest_ trip advice they’d give anyone. But in this moment, in Wonshik’s hold, Jaehwan can’t think of anywhere better to be. He pulls away and looks around the deteriorating manor they’re standing in, hearing Wonshik whistle from behind him. “They must’ve been loaded.” he hears his fiance comment. 

Jaehwan nods, mouth slightly agape as he looks up at the grand chandelier, decorated with hundreds to thousands of crystals now draped by cobwebs and dust. “Yeah, can’t believe it’s just sitting here abandoned like this. I’m surprised no one has tried fixing it up.” he says, turning to find his fiance peering up the stairs of the mansion. Wonshik gives Jaehwan a mischievous grin and motions his head up the stairs, an eyebrow arched.

The brunet gives a lop-sided grin back, shaking his head, “No thank you. I’d rather not fall through some floorboard today, thank you very much.” 

“You’re no fun!” the younger male teases, already running up the stairs.

“Wonshik!” Jaehwan calls out, eyebrows slightly scrunched in worry, “Be careful you idiot. We don’t know how old this place is.” he yells out, shaking his head. With a sigh Jaehwan looks around the foyer he’s standing in. “Now what?” he mumbles to himself. He can hear the pouring rain outside, hitting the roof of the building several feet above. 

Jaehwan hums a tune to himself as he leisurely walks into one of the rooms, a dusty old piano immediately catching his eyes. With an excited smile, he walks over to the instrument, blowing on the keys to get rid of some debris. His fingers lazily stroke against the keys, playing a few notes. The brunet doesn’t sit down, frowning as he thinks of the waste to leave such a nice piano in this decrepit manor. 

_“Is that my rose?”_ he hears a wavering, yet _familiar_ voice call out to him just as a flash of lightning strikes. Jaehwan flinches in surprise, head snapping around the room to search for the source of that sound. _“My sweet rose, is that you?”_ he hears once more, still not sure where that sound is coming from. 

His eyes stop at the entrance of the room to find a man just as a roaring thunder crashes through the entire building. Jaehwan tumbles back and falls on the piano bench behind him, his hand clutching his chest. The brunet glances back up to see that it’s his fiance, sporting a smile captured in awe. “Wonshik!” he yells, “You nearly gave me a heart attack!” he shouts, lips naturally falling into a pout.

Wonshik doesn’t respond, standing at the entrance of the door dressed in white, ruffled blouse tucked into a pair of black slacks. Jaehwan blinks at the younger male, throwing a hand over his mouth to muffle his chuckle, “Wonshik where did you get that ridiculous outfit? Did you go rifling through some drawers?”

His fiance does not say anything, eyes transfixed on Jaehwan as he walks towards the shorter male as if in a daze. Jaehwan raises an eyebrow and giggles at the way Wonshik is looking at him. Even after four years of being together, the man never fails to make him laugh. He playfully eyes Wonshik up and down and bats his eyelashes. “Excuse me _good sir_ , sorry to disturb you but I’ve seem to have gotten stuck on the road in the _pouring rain_. Is there _anything_ I can do to spend the night in your huge mansion?” he whispers wistfully, throwing the back of his hand against his forehead and sighing. 

He looks up to find Wonshik blinking at him with wide, almost concerned eyes, mouth agape. Jaehwan stands and smiles at his fiance, scrunching his eyebrows as the taller male walks up to him. Wonshik’s loose, damp hair is now slicked back, the sides appearing neatly cut. Overall the other male just looks a bit... _off_. Was his hair always this short?

Walking up to the shorter male, Wonshik takes one of Jaehwan’s hands into his own, a protective arm wrapping around the brunet’s waist. “Of course, my love.” the taller male whispers, moving a hand up and running it through Jaehwan’s brown hair. His eyes bore into Jaehwan’s orbs as he places a kiss on the hand he’s holding. “You will always, _always_ , have a place here.” He takes Jaehwan’s face into his hand, placing a kiss on the older’s forehead, then reaching down to place one on the cheek. _“My rose.”_ Wonshik mumbles, nosing along Jaehwan’s cheek until he connects their lips.

The older male blinks at the affection, fluttering his eyes shut when he feels Wonshik pull him closer, grip around his waist tightening as slender fingers tangle into his hair. Jaehwan mewls when his fiance nibbles on his bottom lip. The younger male takes that opportunity to push his tongue in, brushing it against the roof of Jaehwan’s mouth.

Jaehwan sighs when the taller male pulls away, mouthing at his jaw and moving down his neck, sucking and nipping. _“Wonshik.”_ he moans.

His fiance freezes in his ministrations, lips ghosting over Jaehwan’s neck. Wonshik pulls away, locking eyes with Jaehwan. The older male blinks at him in confusion as the taller male caresses his cheek with the back of a hand, head tilted, asking _“Who’s Wonshik, love?”_

“Jaehwan!” he suddenly hears from behind him. 

Eyes widening, Jaehwan looks back and gapes. There standing in the doorway is Wonshik...his Wonshik in the baggy hoodie, messy, damp hair, startled look on his face.

_If that’s Wonshik, then who…_

The older male jaw drops as he slowly turns to face the person holding him. He gasps when he’s greeted by the exact replica of his fiance’s face. “Y-you’re not Won-” he starts off, voice fading off as trembles.

His fiance’s clone tilts its head, an amused smile appearing on his lips. “No silly, it’s me, Ravi.” he says, casually brushing Jaehwan’s bangs away from his forehead, completely disregarding the brunet’s shivering form and Wonshik yelling from across the room. _Ravi_ frowns, sighing as his fingers continue to play with Jaehwan’s hair “Sweetheart, I’m not sure what you’ve done to your hair but you know I’m partial to your blond locks instead.” Jaehwan hiccups when he feels the grip on his waist tighten, the smile on the _familiar stranger’s_ face slowly morphing into a scowl of distaste. “Is that what you were doing while away from me, _my sweet rose?”_ he grits out through a grimace.

Jaehwan yelps at the strong hold around him as the piercing gaze digs into him. 

“Let my boyfriend go!” he hears Wonshik yell from the back, a part of Jaehwan wanting to yell back, _your fiance, idiot!_ Instead he chooses to give the person in front of him smile, a shaky exhale leaving his lips. 

“Um, sir,” he starts off in the sweetest voice he can muster, “I-I think you’re mistaken.” he adds with a nervous chuckle, slowly trying to pry the near _death grip_ off of his waist. Gulping, he gives forcefully giggles, “I’m not your, er, _rose_ or whomever you’re thinking about, so if you could _just loosen your grip here_ \- _ah!_ ” Jaehwan hisses as the hand on the back of his head tugs at his locks. 

Jaehwan notices from his periphery Wonshik running towards him, until an old bookshelf flings into him, nearly crushing him. “Wonshi-” Jaehwan tries to look at his fiance, whining when the hand pulls on his hair roughly.

The brunet gasps when _Ravi_ moves his hand down to grab Jaehwan’s chin, forcing the shorter male to look at him. “You can change your hair as many ways as you want, but I’ll always recognize you _Ken_.” he grits through his teeth, eyes softening slightly when Jaehwan whimpers. His grip on Jaehwan’s chin lightens up, thumb brushing against the lips, “I’m sorry love, you know how angry I get sometimes.” he mutters

Jaehwan finds himself trembling, too scared to search out for the groaning Wonshik on the ground. His lips quiver as he stutters, “ _I_ _-I’m not Ken, sir. P-please let me go.”_

_“No!”_ Ravi snarls, harshly pulling Jaehwan, hysterical eyes glaring daggers into his soul “I let you go once, but I won’t let you go again!” A fearful sob escapes Jaehwan’s throat.

“Ravi, just let him go.” a voice demands.

They turn to the figure standing at the opposite end of the room. Jaehwan gapes looking at the other male. It’s as if Jaehwan were looking into a mirror and the mirror reflected a more doll-like version of himself: wispy blond hair in loose waves, nose slightly more sloped, brown eyes a little more wided, cheeks just a tinge more hollowed, dressed in satin creme blouse. The impassive facial expression sported by his twin fails to hide the uncanny similarity to Jaehwan’s own face.

Instantly, Ravi’s grip loosens on him, letting Jaehwan fall to the ground. _“Ken,"_ the man mumbles, bewildered eyes boring into the blond figure as he walks towards him, “sweetheart, my dear, where have you been? I’ve been searching for you for _ages_.” 

The blond, _Ken,_ stares back at Ravi with a disinterested gaze, choosing to peer over his shoulder to stare at Jaehwan. The brunet gawks at his twin from the floor, shocked, frozen. _Ken_ moves his attention back to Ravi, as the taller male approaches him, his look of indifference turning into a frown of revulsion, “That because I didn’t want to see you Ravi.”

Ravi shakes his head, “No sweetheart, _dearest_ , don’t say that,” he begs, hand reaching out for the blond. Ken moves back, shooting the other male a look of abhorrence. The taller male whimpers, _fucking whimpers_ , as he reaches out for the blond, pathetically calling after the other _“my sweet rose, please,”_ he groans in frustration, “I’ve already let you go once sweetheart, _please don’t leave me again_.” he cries out.

The blond's eye twitches as he smiles sadly at Ravi, “Oh sweetheart,” he says, places a loving hand on the man’s face, Ravi immediately grabbing the wrist, nuzzling his face against it. Ken sighs, “but you _didn’t_ let me go…” he says in a sweet voice laced with pity as the taller male placed kisses on his palm, “you _made_ me stay...then you buried me right here, underneath this chandelier.” 

The taller male freezes, eyes moving to meet Ken. He gently puts down Ken’s hand, moving closer to the blond as he shakily says “I- no...no I didn’t sweetheart,” his hands reaching out to pull the shorter male into a hug. “I would never, _never_ hurt you my sweet rose.” he whispers.

Ken sighs, gingerly pulling away from the other’s hold, “I’m sorry, but it’s true Ravi,” he starts off, tilting his head with a disheartening smile on his face, “ _but you know how angry you get sometimes_.” The blond socks Ravi across the head, knocking the taller male down. He locks his eyes with Jaehwan again, tilting his head towards Wonshik’s direction.

Jaehwan finally glances over to look at his fiance, finding the younger male gaping at the scene in front of him as well. The brunet rushes over towards Wonshik, hands immediately grappling out at the taller male. “Wonshik,” he whispers, “are you okay?!” 

Wonshik quickly looks at Jaehwan nodding, turning to the bookshelf on the ground. “My ankle is stuck under the shelf.” Wonshik hurriedly tells the brunet, Jaehwan’s hands immediately moving to pick up the shelf. 

“ _Fuck,_ this shit is so heavy!” he grunts, barely moving an inch. Within a mere few seconds, the weight is completely lifted off of Jaehwan’s hands and Wonshik’s ankle, the shelf being thrown next to them. The couple stare at Ken with wide eyes.

The blond raises an eyebrow and leans down, helping Jaehwan pick Wonshik up as the brunet gapes at his doppelganger. His twin gives a patient, grin full of despair, _“Please,”_ he whispers, _“please just run.”_ he says, disappearing right in front of Jaehwan’s eyes.

Jaehwan gapes at the groaning man on the ground several feet ahead of him. “Shit.” he says, dragging his fiance towards the doorway. Wonshik wraps his arm around Jaehwan’s midriff, putting his weight on the older male as they both walk to the foyer as fast as they can. “We’re almost there, baby, we’re almost there.” Jaehwan mutters loudly, unclear if he is saying it more for Wonshik or himself. 

The brunet’s hand grips the main door’s handle when he hears groaning behind him, _“Ken? Ken, where did you go?!”_ Ravi shouts. 

Not looking back, Jaehwan pulls the door open, wincing as he drags Wonshik out with him. He turns around to find Ravi running towards them, maddening rage and obsession very evident in his face, baring his gritted teeth as he shouted, _“I won’t let you leave this time!”_

Holding his breath, Jaehwan pulls the door shut with a thud. “Come on Wonshik, hurry!” he shouts, pulling his fiance down the stairs with him and into the rain. Wonshik hissed as he tries to limp down the stairs, the pair not stilling until they’re out the gate of the mansion and several feet away from it.

Jaehwan finally stops, letting go of Wonshik as he heaves, “Okay, I need a minute.” The rain has finally stopped, streaks of sunlight peering out from between the clouds.

“Are you okay?” Wonshik asks him as the taller male wheezes himself, hands reaching up to cup Jaehwan’s wet cheek, brushing away the brown damp fringes matted against his skin.

The brunet blinks up at Wonshik, nodding as he pants, taking this time to look into his fiance’s eyes before flicking the younger male’s forehead.

“Ow!” Wonshik exclaims. “What was that for?”

Jaehwan rolls his eyes, “For being an idiot.” he says. “Why the fuck did you go upstairs?”

Wonshik groans, “Oh come on, that asshole would have appeared regardless of where I was in the house.” 

The older male scoffs, “Yeah but at least I wouldn’t have made out with the ghost of a fucking psycho _murderer_ if you were by my side-”

“You _what_?!” Wonshik shouts.

Jaehwan shakes his head, “Don’t worry about it." he sighs, hugging Wonshik, placing his head on the taller male's shoulder. Wonshik's arm naturally wraps around the older male. Jaehwan places a peck on Wonshik's cheek, mumbling, '"At least we're safe. I love you."

Wonshik smiles at the brunet, placing a kiss on his lips, "I love you too."

Jaehwan sighs, "Come on, let’s get out of here before our doppelgangers follow us here and try to trap us in that mansion.” grumbles pulling Wonshik along with him, wrapping his arm around his fiance’s shoulder. He crinkles his nose as he adds in an afterthought, “Well, I guess mine technically helped us escape, but _your one_ , on the other hand, fucking tried to kill us.”

Wonshik huffs, mumbling to himself, _“I mean you looked pretty good as a blond-”_ choking when Jaehwan glares at him. 

“Do not make me throw this ring into the Seine and make you fetch it out.” the older scrutinizes, feigning indifferent to the younger male’s puppy eyes, even the faint grin on the brunet’s face said otherwise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Struggled with a title. Please excuse any typos!


	27. I'll ask politely: give me what I want (KenBin; mentioned ChaBin)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pairing: Hongbin/Jaehwan; brief Hongbin/Hakyeon (KenBin; ChaBin)  
> Rating: T  
> Prompt: stranger/ "take more of me"  
> Warning: mentions of death, blood

_“Please,”_ Hongbin mumbles, head lolling from one side to the other, droopy eyes struggling to stay open. He extends a hand out towards the dark figure, his blurry vision making it hard to see the stranger. _“Please, take more of me.”_ he begs.

The stranger squats in front of Hongbin, gently moving his dark black waves away from his eyes. Hongbin feels his head spinning, forcefully widening his eyes to stare at the beautiful man in front of him. The stranger had cornered him as he stumbled into the dark alley; pretty black eyes peering into his soul, plushed pink lips placing a kiss on his lips, strong arms pressing him against the wall, sharp teeth tearing into his neck. Hongbin was so drunk off of wine and mesmerized by the stranger’s beauty he didn’t even realize what was happening until it was too late. 

Blood drips from the corner of the man’s pretty lips curving up into a lop-sided grin. Raising an eyebrow, he asks, “Oh? You want me to _take_ _more_?” He holds Hongbin’s chin with his index finger and thumb, tilting the head to take a look at the bleeding wound on the neck. He tsks, chuckling as he moves dangerously close to Hongbin’s face baring his sharp “Babe you’re almost going into shock as it is. If I take more you’d end up in a coma or dead.” 

The stranger breaks out into a devious chuckle, nosing along Hongbin’s cheekbone as he hums, “But something tells me that’s what you’re hoping for...isn’t it?” Hongbin shivers against the bricked wall, a choked groan leaving his mouth. The stranger’s index finger glides along the human’s chiseled jawline as he sighs, “It’s a damn shame. With features like these?” he shakes his head in disappointment, a pout _almost_ hiding the drying crimson around his lips. “I was _really_ hoping to keep you.”

Hongbin shivers from his place, lips trembling as he offers his neck to the stranger. “Please, take more.”

The man glares at Hongbin with dark eyes, tongue slowly swiping over his fangs. Hongbin stares at him desperately through lidded eyes, nearly sobbing when the stranger presses a flat tongue over the blood passively leaving his neck. He yelps from the jolt of pain he feels when the other’s fangs sink into his neck once more, a guttural noise escaping his lips. 

Hongbin’s eyes widen with a gasp as he stares off into the distance, letting out a shaky breath as the stranger sucks the life source out of him. And in that moment all he feels is a rush of pleasure, a buzz of gratification, absolute _bliss_ ; no more thoughts of a particular honeyed voice, smooth skin against his fingertips, gentle smile aimed at him, lips against his own; no longer thinking about the pale face, lifeless brown eyes, still body in the casket. Hongbin releases little cries as the fangs dig in deeper. His hands dig into the stranger’s black locks, shuddering as he begs _“Please, take more…”_ his lips quivering until they stop all together, hand slowly falling to the ground, wide eyes gazing off to nothing. 

The stranger pulls away with one last mouthful of blood, panting harshly, eyes shining a bright red, lips snarled into a menacing grimace. He looks at Hongbin’s pulseless body, handsome face unmoving. Licking his lips, the stranger stands up and stretches, wiping the residual blood surrounding his mouth with the back of his hand. The stranger tilts his head taking in the look of content on Hongbin’s face. He sighs, “Oh how I wanted to keep this one.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a short one. Hope you like it!


	28. Life in rosy hues (KenVi; Keo)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pairing: Wonshik/Jaehwan; Jaehwan/Taekwoon (KenVi; Keo)  
> Rating: T  
> Prompt: cold/ "you're beautiful"  
> Warning: mentions of previous death

Boisterous laughter, chatter, and music fill the room as Wonshik finishes his glass of wine, eyes searching for his boyfriend as he chuckles at some joke Hongbin said. “‘Scuse me Bin.” he says, squeezing through the crowd, eyes searching for a particular mop of brown hair. After doing a sweep of the first floor, he climbs up the stairs, pushing past a couple chatting. He looks around the different rooms in the second floor, disappointedly smiling at the other party-goers he finds. 

Sighing, he climbs up a flight of stairs leading to the terrace, stopping at the bottom of the second flight, smiling when he finally sees the familiar figure he had been searching for. Wonshik’s grin falters to that of confusion and slight enchantment. There on the top of the stairs stands Jaehwan, staring off in space, turned to the side so that the front of his body and profile are visible. The moonlight shines around his features, outlining the slope of his nose, the bristles of eyelashes, the plumpness of his parted, soft lips. His arm rests gently on top of the railing, lithe frame standing straight against it. Wonshik stood on the base of the stairs gaping, enamored by his boyfriend’s contour, spellbound by the picture in front of him. 

He shakes his head and clears his throat, climbing up the stairs, “Baby?” he reaches out. His boyfriend turns to him with a stunned look, pretty brown eyes widened with surprise. Wonshik smiles at him, arm naturally going to wrap around the shorter male, placing a kiss on his lips. “Have you been here this whole time? I looked for you all over the house.” he mumbles against Jaehwan’s temple.

The brunet slowly wraps his arms around Wonshik, sighing, “Yeah, I have.” He looks up at Wonshik with a lazy grin, “Sorry.” 

Shaking his head, Wonshik places another kiss on Jaehwan’s lips, “No it’s okay. I was just wondering where you went.” 

Jaehwan lets out a dry chuckle, “I got a little tired downstairs and needed some fresh air. Came up here and must have lost track of time.” he says quietly, featherlight words turning into a whisper. He pouts up at Wonshik, “Do you think we can go home now?” 

The younger male places another peck on Jaehwan’s cheek, “Sure we can baby.” he says against the skin, tightly hugging his boyfriend as he turns towards the stairs. “Whatever, whenever my baby wants.” he teases, relishing the little giggles released by the older male.

* * *

Wonshik finishes his glass of water, eyes moving to the tree branches and leaves rustling from the wind. It feels like autumn just started the other day and here they are, nearing winter already. He turns when he hears Jaehwan coming out of the bathroom, dressed in an oversized t-shirt and shorts, sporting a pair of round glasses instead of his contacts, brown, wavy fringes in disarray. All though not exactly the ethereal image he saw at the top of the staircase forty minutes ago, Wonshik still finds his heart skipping a beat, a burning of arousal in the pits of his abdomen.

The taller male licks his lips which are already quirking into a smirk. He walks over to his boyfriend wearing a contemplative expression, eyebrows scrunched pensively as the older male put lotion on his hands. Wonshik wraps his arms around the shorter male from behind, lips immediately connecting to Jaehwan’s neck, grazing over the skin before sucking kisses into it. 

He hears Jaehwan sigh when he pulls the brunet in closer, muttering “I’m not feeling it tonight, Shik.” Wonshik pauses briefly, smiling as he noses up the expanse of Jaehwan’s neck, lips ghosting over the other’s jawline. Jaehwan exhales exhaustedly, “I’m sorry sweetheart, but I’m not in the mood.” he says blandly.

Wonshik scrunches his eyebrows in confusion, pulling away from his boyfriend, loosening his hold around the older male. He turns Jaehwan so that the brunet is facing him, “Is there something wrong, baby?” he asks, voice laced in concern. 

Jaehwan bites his lips in slight apprehension, brown eyes wide behind his glasses. He sighs and shakes his head, “Just a little tired.” he tells Wonshik through a forced smile. 

The younger male, of course, sees through it. He takes Jaehwan’s face into his hands, “Jae, you know you can always tell me when something is wrong. What happened?” he asks once more, reassuringly.

His boyfriend opens, then closes his mouth, seemingly at a loss for words. “I don’t know if I should …” voice wandering off, shaking his head as he looks back off at Wonshik, “you know what,” he starts again, wrapping his arms around the taller male, “Don’t worry about it sweetheart. I’m just tired.” he says, plastering another novelty grin.

Wonshik blinks at his boyfriend, raising an eyebrow. “Baby,” he starts off, “please Jae, I want to know what’s wrong? What’s on your mind?” Jaehwan’s forced smile drops, arms moving off of Wonshik’s shoulders. He bites his lips once more, avoiding Wonshik’s gaze until the younger male says, “Jae.”

Jaehwan looks back up at Wonshik, a tight-lipped smile on his face. “Earlier tonight, at the party, someone started playing this one song,” he licks his lips, “it reminded me of someone...someone that I knew a while ago. ” The younger male nods, urging Jaehwan to go on. The brunet clears his throat then adds, “He used to…” pausing Jaehwan releases a quick chuckle, “he used to sing, or maybe even just hum, this song all the time.” A melancholic expression washes over his face, pulling on Wonshik’s heartstrings. “He, uh...he passed away.”

“Oh Jae.” he says, pulling the older male into a hug. He places a kiss on the crown of Jaehwan’s head, moving them towards the bed so they could sit, still holding his boyfriend in his embrace. “Did I know him?” he mumbles against Jaehwan’s head.

The other male shakes his head, briefly looking up at Wonshik, “No...it was a while ago. He died when I was in high school…” he starts off, pausing as a look of hesitation graces his face. Licking his lips once more, he glances up at Wonshik, swallowing a lump in his throat “He was...we were in love.” he says quietly with a wistful look. Wonshik feels his shoulders tightening at that, jaw becoming slightly tense. 

Jaehwan sighs, “We were in love and well...one day it was really cold and raining and I was stuck at home because I was sick. I remember,” he breaks out into a chuckle, “I remember him hearing me sniffles and groan through the phone, whining at him to come see me, and grumbling about how much of a baby I am...but then not an hour goes by and I hear him shouting my name from outside my house.” Jaehwan sighs, “I had waddled over to my window, wrapped up in my blanket, sneezing and sniffling, trying to figure out if he was actually there or I was having a fever dream. But I opened my window and there he was, shivering, wet as all a rag in the pouring rain smiling at me.” 

The brunet laughs, “I told him that I didn’t expect him to come out and I look like an absolute mess. He reaches his hands, his hands which were cold as clay, and took my face into his hands and kissed me, saying, ‘Jyani, you’re beautiful, you’ll always be beautiful to me.’ and even though I felt like I was going to pass out from my fever, I remember telling him that ‘you’d better have some wine with that cheese.’” He laughs, a longing grin dropping to a frown and he gulps. “He died not two weeks later. They said...they said he got sick from the cold, got pneumonia from being in the rain, the _fucking freezing_ rain.” Jaehwan stares off in a daze, bitterly whispering, “All because I begged him to come see me.”

Wonshik gapes at his boyfriend, his arm around his boyfriend tightening. He pulls Jaehwan in and places a kiss on the brunet’s temple, “Hey, hey, come here.” he coaxes until the older male wraps his arms around Jaehwan. “Don’t blame yourself Jae.” he says, grazing Jaehwan’s hair with his fingers. He feels an inexpressible emotion in his chest, a mixture of jealousy, compassion, and emptiness all at once. Sighing, he says “I’m sorry.”

The brunet exhales, adding a mirthless chuckle, “No, Shik, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make the night so glum.” he says. Jaehwan looks up at Wonshik with a pout, placing a peck on the taller male’s lips “And it’s okay because I have you. And I love you.” he mumbles against Wonshik’s lips. 

“I love you too baby.” Wonshik responds, affectionately thumbing Jaehwan’s cheek. The brunet smiles at him, brown eyes pressing together with crinkles on the edges. Wonshik finds the emptiness in his chest filled with fondness. He gets up and tucks his boyfriend under the covers before sliding in himself, wrapping an arm around the shorter male and draping his chest over Jaehwan’s back.

It is when all Wonshik hears is the sound of the leaves rustling outside along the whooshing of the breeze and Jaehwan’s soft exhales that the younger male finds his mind wandering. He can’t believe he didn’t know about such a significant moment in his boyfriend’s life, the man he loves with all his heart. Wonshik sighs thinking about what an effect this person has left on Jaehwan’s life where a mere song, a simple memory can send the brunet into such a state of gloom. He slowly pulls away from his boyfriend and lies on his back, staring at the ceiling covered with shadows of the dancing tree branches, thinking about the power the dead have on the living. He glances back at Jaehwan, watching the gentle rise and fall of the brunet’s shoulders. Wonshik smiles, lying on his side as he stares at Jaehwan’s back. One day he too would be nothing more than a memory to Jaehwan...but for tonight, for this moment, he is in Jaehwan’s life.

* * *

The brunet climbs up the stairs lethargically, forcing out a small polite smile here and there whenever he passes someone. He finally reaches the terrace, leaning against the railing with a sigh. The familiar tune he had just heard ten minutes ago is still playing in his head; the unwanted memories tucked away flooding his mind.

Jaehwan feels the shiver run down his spine like it does every time they meet. He slowly flutters his eyelids shut, releasing a shaky breath. “Taekwoon?” he calls out. 

A _cold_ gentle caress against his temple is what he receives in return. The brunet opens his eyes and turns towards touch, eyes recognizing a smiling figure. A sense of yearning fills his chest, heaviness in his throat. “I…” he starts off with a wistful smile, eyes brimming with tears “I miss you _so much_.”

Taekwoon grins back, grazing his fingers through Jaehwan’s bangs, featherlight touches against the brunet’s skin. “I know.” he says in his oh so familiar voice. The other wipes away a rogue tear from Jaehwan’s cheek with his thumb. The brunet closes his eyes, nearly mewling at the affection. _“You’re so beautiful.”_ he hears the taller male say to him. 

Jaehwan opens his eyes to see Taekwoon smiling at him. “I wish you were really here.” he whispers at the other.

Taekwoon shakes his head in pity, “But I am, aren’t I?” he teases with a lop-sided grin, “I’m always with you…” he adds softly.

Jaehwan blinks, smiling sadly, “I know. You are.” The other male grins, reaching out to swipe a thumb over the brunet’s cheekbone.

“Baby?” he hears a deep voice call out for him. Jaehwan’s eyes widen in surprise, turning towards the stairs Wonshik is coming up. His boyfriend immediately wraps an arm around him, giving him a kiss and mumbles against his temple “Have you been here this whole time? I looked for you all over the house.” 

The brunet’s eyes search around for the familiar figure that was just here. He swallows the lump in his throat and sighs, “Yeah, I have. Sorry.” as he tries to beam up at his boyfriend, pushing away the longing feeling in his chest. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by _The Dead_ by James Joyce. The song I had in mind as Taekwoon & Jaehwan's song is "La vie en rose" but feel free to think of whatever song you want. This may not be as scary or spooky since I was there to be a subtle, haunting feeling to it. Another sad one for the books. Thank you for reading!


	29. Two lovers share a sunset (LeoBin)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pairing: Taekwoon/Hongbin (LeoBin)  
> Rating: T  
> Prompt: nightmare/ "you love me, right?"  
> Warning: implied character death

This has to be a nightmare. How does a person wake themselves up from a nightmare? He remembers reading somewhere that blinking very quickly might wake a person up from a dream, or maybe falling asleep in the dream. Maybe he should try screaming, that might wake him up. But ahh...he can’t...especially if this isn’t a dream. A mild _yelp_ can give away their location. Too much is going through his mind to force himself to fall asleep. So Taekwoon opts for blinking. And he blinks. And blinks. And blinks. 

He hears a snort from the male in front of him, “What are you even doing?” Hongbin leers through his panting, a teasing smirk on his face.

Taekwoon does not smile back, too many thoughts to be in the joking mood. His jaw clenches as he softly responds, “I’m trying to wake up from this nightmare.” 

The look in Hongbin’s glinting eyes soften, his smirk melting into a sad smile. He sits up against the tree behind him, pulling his plaid shirt over the gash in his shoulder. There is a subtle dark spot forming on the already red fabric. “Oh sweetheart,” he sighs pitifully staring straight at the older male, “but this isn’t a nightmare.” 

He knows. Taekwoon knows. But he wants this to be a nightmare. He’s _praying_ this is a nightmare. A dream he can wake up from then complain to Hongbin about. Taekwoon gulps, fighting away the tears forming in his eyes as he looks away, choosing not to respond.

From his periphery, he sees Hongbin getting up and moving closer to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Hey,” the younger male says in his serious voice. Hongbin crouches down in front of him, gently tilting Taekwoon’s head towards him. Exhaling deeply, he says “you know what I’m going to have to do.”

Taekwoon shoulders tense immediately, chest tightening as a shiver runs down his spine. The tears finally break loose from their confines and run down his cheek. “No…” he whispers, shaking his head in denial, hands reaching out to cup the younger male’s face “n-no...I...we don’t, we don’t have to…” he starts babbling. “Maybe, maybe we can just wrap it up t-tight or-or I- maybe I can ch-chop it of-” Taekwoon gasps in between a panic-stricken sob.

Hongbin’s eyes widen as he immediately grabs the older male’s shoulder, pulling the other into a hug. Taekwoon’s arms wrap around the lithe, familiar waist in front of him, mouth digging into the red, plaid fabric of the shirt as wails rack through him. He forces his brain to ignore the metallic smell by focusing on the grass moving in front of him, swaying with the gentle breeze against the orange tint of early dusk. His shoulders relax from how tenderly Hongbin’s fingers run through his hair and his trembles cede. 

Another minute passes before Hongbin says in a defeated voice, “We won’t be able to chop it off love.”

Taekwoon shuts his eyes tightly, trying not to visualize the extent of the wound from Hongbin’s shoulder to deltoid. He lets out a shaky breath, pulling away from the younger voice. “I know.” he says hopelessly.

One of Hongbin’s hands holds Taekwoon’s face, a thumb rubbing against his cheek until he faces the younger male. “Taekwoon,” Hongbin starts off, pausing to bite his lip as if he’s trying to hold a whimper back. Hongbin isn’t one to wear his emotions on his sleeve, Taekwoon having seen the other cry only twice in the three years they’ve known each other. It pains the older male to watch him hold back his grief, even _now_. Hongbin sighs, clearing his throat and licking his lips, “Y-you love me, right?” he asks in a shaky voice. 

The older male nods frantically, gripping onto Hongbin’s wrist as he whispers, “Of course I do! I love you with all my heart!” he says, fingers digging into the other’s skin so hard it might leave bruises. 

Hongbin gives him a miserable smile, tilting his head to the side as a tear falls down his face, “Then you need to let me do this, sweetheart.” he says. “I want,” he inhales sharply, “I want your last memory of me to be _a human one_. I don’t want you to see me as one of them.” he says softly, wet round eyes boring into Taekwoon’s gaze. 

Taekwoon sniffles, nodding in defeat as he holds back the wail in his throat. He pulls Hongbin in for a deep kiss, lips pressing desperately against the other, as if he is trying to pour his entire soul in. Hongbin kisses back fervently, hands clutching onto the front of Taekwoon’s shirt. They part after what seems like minutes, both men no longer fighting back the sobs and tears. 

Hongbin trembles as he looks up at the setting sun, “It’s gonna be dark soon.” he says, pulling out the gun from the back of his jeans. “Taek, I need you to start heading back, okay?” The older male nods, taking in Hongbin’s handsome face, trying to imprint all of the features into his memories. “When you hear the shot, I don’t want you to turn back, got it? No stopping. No turning back. You keep walking, alright? You keep going.” the younger babbles as he presses wet smooches against the older male’s face, trembling hands encouraging Taekwoon to stand up with him. 

He stares at Taekwoon as he holds onto the older male's shoulders. “You’re going to be fine.” he says in a steady voice. “You’re going to be okay and you’re going to live and you’re going to live long, Jung Taekwoon.” he adds sternly. “And it may not feel like it today, it may not feel like it in a month, maybe not even in a year, but you’ll love again Taekwoon. You have to love again, okay?” he demands, ignoring the older male shaking his head. “Hey,” he says, bringing Taekwoon’s attention back to him. “you love me right?”

Taekwoon blinks through tears, forcing out a smile. “Of course you idiot. I fucking love you so much.” 

Hongbin gives a wistful grin back, “Then please be happy.” He places one more peck on Taekwoon’s forehead, mumbling against his temple, “I love you.” Hongbin pulls back, nudging the older male to start walking. “Come on grandpa, you know how bad your eyesight gets in the dark.” he teases with a smile. 

The older male laughs at the comment despite himself, looking back at Hongbin with a hesitant glance. Hongbin sighs with a smile, “Don’t worry about me: the perfect breeze _and_ a breathtaking sunset? It’s a beautiful day for someone to die Taekwoon.” he winks at the other. 

Taekwoon presses his lips shut, huffing out an endeared scoff. He swallows the lump in his throat as he croaks, “Goodbye Lee Hongbin.”

Hongbin nods with an accepting grin, “Goodbye Jung Taekwoon.”

With a deep breath, Taekwoon turns around and starts walking, not trusting himself to stay for a minute longer. He takes in the chirping of the birds rushing to their trees as the evening ends, the gentle breath of wind against his skin, the burnt orange hues around him. Oh how it would have been a beautiful day, a gorgeous evening. A gunshot echoes in the distance. Taekwoon pauses to let out a shaky breath, his hand clutching the straps of his backpack tightly. He closes his eyes for a second, composing himself before resumes walking. A gorgeous evening...too bad it was a nightmarish hell.


	30. It Follows (KenBin)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pairing: Hongbin/Jaehwan (KenBin)  
> Rating: E  
> Prompt: "You see it now, don't you?"  
> Warning: consensual sex, drugging/restraining

Jaehwan inhales the aroma of the popcorn, letting out an audible _Ahh_ before digging in with a fistful. He pulls his leg up close to his seat, toes in a pointe, popcorn hugged closely to his chest as he smiles through full cheeks at a couple walking past him to get to their seat. As soon as the pair walks by, he extends his legs out again, grabbing another handful of the buttery goodness and plops it into his mouth. 

Hongbin watches the older male from his seat, an amused smile on his face when Jaehwan catches him. The blond blinks at the other male through his fringes, licking some salty butter off of his lips, “What? Is there popcorn on my face?” he asks, clean hand rubbing around his mouth. 

The brunet licks his lip as he continues to grin, shaking his head. “No, it’s just the way you’re going to town on that popcorn when the trailers haven’t even started yet.” he muses, motioning towards the screen up front. 

Jaehwan feels his cheeks heat up, a bit in embarrassment “I didn’t eat anything all day.” he mutters with a shy smile, looking away from his date and at his foot, hoping the blush on his cheeks have died down. He hears Hongbin release a deep chuckle, prompting his head to look at the grinning male.

“I think it’s adorable.” Hongbin beams. 

The blush on Jaehwan’s cheeks intensifies as he smiles to himself, taking a few more bites of popcorn. The brunet laughs, reaching out and taking Jaehwan’s hand in his, rubbing his thumb over the older male’s hand in soothing patterns causing his belly to do a weird flip. It may be their third date, but Hongbin gives him butterflies as if it’s their first. Jaehwan hums, no longer interested in the salty snack on his lap. He turns to Hongbin. “Well, while we’re waiting for the movie to start, why don’t we play this game?”

Hongbin raises an eyebrow, chuckling slightly, “A game?”

Jaehwan nods. “Yep, it’s like this people-watching game. You scan the room and pick a person you’d want to trade places with, anyone, and the other person has two chances to guess who you picked.”

His date smirks at him, “Do I win anything if you lose?” 

Dramatically clutching his chest, Jaehwan gasps, “You already have me; is there anything more to win?”

The younger male licks his lips, hand resting on top of Jaehwan’s thigh, _gently_ giving it a press, causing Jaehwan to gasp. He leans into Jaehwan’s ear and responds in a husky voice “Well, I’d always love to have _more_ of you.” 

Jaehwan feels the hair on the back of his neck standing up as he clears his throat, “Um, why don’t you start first.” he says breathlessly, biting his bottom lip. 

Hongbin smirks, “With pleasure.” The brunet scans the theater real quick, nodding when he made up his mind. “Okay, got one.” 

The blond glances at the general direction of where his date is staring, seeing a father and son duo. He squints his eyes in concentration, turning around to find a delighted Hongbin. “The father?” he asks. His date clicks his tongue, shaking his head. Jaehwan scrunches his eyebrows then smiles, “The son?” 

Hongbin laughs, nodding. “Yes.” 

“Why the son?” Jaehwan teases.

“Well, he’s a kid; he’s got his whole life ahead of him to make mistakes. It’s a good time.” 

Jaehwan snorts, shaking his head “And go through puberty again? No thanks.” he jokes, laughing as he scans the room. “Hmm…” he thinks to himself, trying to figure out how to throw his date off. His eyes settle on a girl in a yellow dress, arms slung around her date, a smile stretched from ear-to-ear as she stares at him with awe. Reminds Jaehwan of where he is right now, on a date with a handsome man, having a good time. Truthfully, he doesn’t want to trade places with anyone right now, so he might as well pick someone closest to his position. He bites his lips and turns to Hongbin. “Okay, I found one.” he says. 

His date scans the area Jaehwan was staring at, smirking with a scoff when his eyes set on a person, “All right, the guy in the leather jacket?” 

The blond is about to shake his head, chuckling when he doesn’t even see the person Hongbin is talking about. “What guy?”

The brunet chuckles, “The leather jacket with the fringes? Black hair, low-fade?” 

Jaehwan scans the back of the theatre and shakes his head in confusion, “I don’t even see him. Second choice?” he answers, turning back to Hongbin.

Hongbin has a slightly apprehensive look, swallowing whatever lump he has in his throat. He turns to Jaehwan with a dazzling smile, “I know we already paid for the movie, but I don't really feel like watching a movie anymore. I'd much rather spend some _getting to know_ _you._ " the brunet says, sending a shiver down Jaehwan's spine. "What do you say we get out of here?” he asks, raising an eyebrow. 

The blond blinks, holding onto his half-finished popcorn. Normally, he would stay and finish a movie _even if_ it sucked ass, because hell, he paid for the tickets. But Hongbin’s _so fucking gorgeous_ and it should be illegal how handsome his smile is. So who cares if the movie tickets go to waste: Hongbin paid for it, he can waste his own money if he wants, right? Jaehwan smiles, nodding “Okay, where do you have in mind?”

* * *

The foggy car windows create a blurry fortress around them, sheilding them from the darkness outside in the field. Jaehwan pants with closed eyes as he moves up and down Hongbin’s cock, hands clutching onto Hongbin’s shoulder. The younger male groans through his gritted teeth, eyes focused solely on blond currently bouncing on his lap, hands gripping the waist tightly. He tilts his head up to connect their lips into an open-mouthed kiss, fingers finding their way into blond locks as he thrusts up.

Jaehwan whines, arm winding around Hongbin’s broad shoulder keening at a particular thrust. _“Fuck, H-hongbin_.” he whimpers, nails digging into the other’s skin.

Hongbin places a light kiss against his cheek, a hand circling around Jaehwan’s cock causing the older male to release a mewl. The brunet brushes his lips against Jaehwan’s ear, asking in that husky voice of his, _“Are you gonna come, baby?”_

Jaehwan moans when Hongbin starts to stroke him faster, in turn clenching around the younger’s cock. The other male hisses out a _fuck_ as he continues thrusting, round eyes boring into Jaehwan’s face. The blond gasps, body stilling as he lets out a whiney moan, streaks of white painting splattering between himself and Hongbin, coating the brunet’s hand. 

His date grunts, pushing into Jaehwan’s tightening walls fanatically, baring his perfect teeth. The blond whimpers against Hongbin’s ear, fingers digging into the younger’s brown hair and shoulder. Two more thrusts and Hongbin spills into his condom, groaning loudly as his arm tightly holds Jaehwan’s waist. 

They sit there for a couple of minutes, catching their breath as the condensation in the car finally starts to get chilly. Hongbin places a couple of pecks on Jaehwan’s temple before diving down to capture the older male’s lip into a lazy kiss. “Let me clean us up.” he mumbles against the other’s plush lips. Jaehwan feels the blush creep up on his cheeks as he nods, sliding off of Hongbin’s softening dick, causing both males to hiss. 

He groans when his sweaty back touches the seat, eyes glancing up at the rearview mirror to find himself looking absolutely wrecked: his blond fringes matted and stuck to his forehead, cheeks dusted with pink, lips bitten red and plush. A shy smile forms on his face, as he averts his gaze to look at Hongbin: the younger male digging through a gym bag for some wipes, eyebrows scrunched up in a perplexed way under sweaty brown bangs. The older male tries to hold back the grin forming on his face wondering how on earth he got so lucky.   
  


Hongbin finally pulls a bag of wipes out with an _aha_ , shooting Jaehwan a boxy grin. He leans over to wipe away the white on Jaehwan’s abdomen, reaching between the blond's thighs to swipe away any remnants of lube, hitting Jaehwan with a smirk as he mutters out a teasing _“Hi."_

Jaehwan bites his lips, giggling to himself when the brunet reaches over to place another kiss on his lips. An arm wraps around Jaehwan’s midriff, pulling him closer to the other male, as his date’s fingers entangle themselves into his hair, nails lightly scratching against his scalp. They part slightly, sharing puffs of warm breath, Hongbin’s lidded eyes staring at him. Jaehwan smiles.

_“I’m sorry."_ he hears Hongbin say.

The blond’s eyebrows scrunch in confusion, the grin on his lips starting to falter. “Sorry?” he asks between a nervous chuckle. “For what?” 

A rag is pressed against his mouth, the fingers in his hair tightening to keep his head in place. Jaehwan’s eyes widen as he gasps, inhaling some kind of chemical smell, something akin to a disinfectant. His mouth fills up with a sweet taste as he pushes Hongbin’s shoulder in panic, screams muffled through the rag. He sees his date’s round eyes stare at him with concentration, unmoving, impassive, becoming blurrier with each passing second until...darkness.

* * *

Jaehwan groans at the uncomfortable strain on his neck. He slowly blinks his eyes open, head lolling from side to side as he takes in his surroundings: dust and debris, deteriorating walls, blocks of cement and broken ceilings cluttering the floor. It is almost as if he’s in some abandoned building... _but that doesn’t make any sense.._. His head is pounding, spinning slightly as he looks around in confusion, making a move to stand but unable to. He glances down to find that he is only wearing his black sweatshirt inside-out, shoes carelessly thrown on his feet with messily-tied laces, jeans not fully zipped up, as if he had thrown his clothes on in a rush. His wrists and ankle bound to what seems to be a wheelchair, his thoughts finally catching up, muddled brain clearing. Remembering how he was in Hongbin’s car, the brunet’s handsome smirk, a rag on his face...he gasps and releases an alarmed scream, _“H-hongbin?”_ he calls out, his frame shivering in the seat from the evening chill and the anxiousness building up inside him. He frantically searches around him looking for the younger male, as he whimpers.

“You’re awake?” he hears a deep voice calling from behind him. Jaehwan snaps his head back as much as he can, wincing at the kink in his neck. The brunet has an apologetic look, frowning while he approaches a shaky Jaehwan. “Sorry Jaehwan, but I’m not going to hurt you.” he says calmly.

The blond pulls at his restraints as he pants, “What the fuck is going on Hongbin?” 

Hongbin rubs the bridge of his nose, leaning down to get eye level with Jaehwan, “Look, I need you to believe me. Listen to me, okay?”

Jaehwan starts to hyperventilate, pulling at his restraints as he looks around, using all the energy he can to pitifully shout, “Help! Help!” voice cracking at his futile cries.

He hears Hongbin sighs next to him, “Listen Jaehwan, I’m trying to help you! Remember exactly what I’m telling you. There is this thing that’s going to follow you, okay? It’s going to follow you and sometimes it’ll look like a stranger, sometimes it’ll look like someone you know.” he tells the blond quickly, before turning his head up towards the entrance, licking his lips and turning back to the blond. “It’s going to do whatever it can to get close to you. But you can’t let it, okay? Because it will kill you.” 

The older male scrunches his eyebrows in confusion, blinking at Hongbin as he mumbles, “What are you talking about?”

“Someone else gave it to me and I-I had to give it to someone else.” the brunet says, running a hand through his hair in frustration. “You have to have sex with someone else to pass it onto them. I-” he gulps, blinking up at Jaehwan, “I passed it onto you in the car.” 

Jaehwan gapes at Hongbin, shaking in panic and bafflement, “I don’t understand…”

“Look, you just need to have sex with someone else and then you’d pass it onto them, okay?” Hongbin says, eyes frantically glancing over to the entrance. “Because this thing, it moves slow but it’s not dumb. It will always follow you and eventually catch up. But do not let it near you. Don’t let it touch you because it will kill you. You need to make sure you’re always in-” a noise makes Hongbin snap his head towards the entrance. 

Jaehwan follows Hongbin’s gaze, finding a strange figure at the entrance. His lips tremble in uneasiness, head still feeling a little dizzy as he moans in discomfort, “Hongbin what’s-”

“It’s here.” The younger male grabs his chin, forcing Jaehwan to look at the stranger slowly walking up to them as if in some kind of trance. The blond blinks, squinting his eyebrows as he realizes it’s some woman...a random naked woman. “You see it now, don’t you?” he hears Hongbin asking from behind him. 

Jaehwan turns his head towards Hongbin with cold sweat and agitation, the room spinning around him as he whines “Hongbin the hell is going on?” he asks between confused sobs. 

“Look at it!” Hongbin yells at him, “I just need you to see it, believe me that it’s real.” he says, pulling the wheelchair back and making a wide turn, creating a distance of several feet between them and the approaching stranger. “Never be in a room with only one exit. The moment you see something odd walking towards you, you need to move out of there.” his date blurts out as he pushes the wheelchair towards a second entrance.

The blond’s gaze turns back to see the naked woman following them, expressionless face, leisurely pace. He snaps his head up to Hongbin, trembling in the seat. “What the fuck Hongbin?” 

Hongbin continues, disregarding Jaehwan. “That guy I saw at the theater, with the leather jacket? That was it. It followed me there.” he stops right before the entrance and quickly opens the rope tying Jaehwan’s wrists and ankle, occasionally glancing up in dread. Once the restraints are off, he pulls Jaehwan up from the wheelchair, the older male's limb slightly wobbling. “We need to go now!” he shouts, pulling the blond along with him. 

Jaehwan looks back in panic to see the woman still following them, almost approaching where they left the wheelchair. He turns back around when Hongbin pulls him down the stairs, trying to focus his dizzy head. The steps start to blend together, the walls shifting in his delirious state. At one point he stumbles onto Hongbin’s back, the brunet turning around and picking him up, running down the stairs until they reach the ground floor. He lets Jaehwan down and pulls the blond towards his lone car in the empty, abandoned parking lot. 

Opening the back seat, he pushes Jaehwan in, checking behind him in alarm. The older male stumbles into the seat, shivering as he sits up. Hongbin gets in the driver’s seat and starts the car, speeding out of the lot. 

He’s panting when Jaehwan makes a croaking noise in the back. Hongbin glances up in the rear-view mirror and makes eye contact with the older male: blond hair stuck to his forehead, face sticky with dried tears, trembling lips. Gulping, he starts off “I- I’m so sorry. But this was the only way I could get rid of it.” he says, shifting his attention back to the road. “You need to have sex with someone else to give it to them…” he continues, sighing “but if it kills them, it will come back for you. Just how if it kills you,” he stares at Jaehwan through the mirror again, “it will come back for me.” 

The blond doesn’t say anything, blinking through the raging ache in his head, trying to ignore the nausea building up. His head lolls, eyes starting to drift shut as he glances out the window. 

_“I’m so sorry Jaehwan.”_ is the last thing he hears Hongbin mutter out in a regretful tone, before darkness finds him again.

* * *

“Hey, Jaehwan, wake up.” he hears, a gentle shake against his shoulder. 

The blond shoots his eyes open to find a concerned Hakyeon standing over him. He looks around to find himself sitting on the step of their porch, his head leaning against the railing. He looks back up at his roommate in confusion. “I- when did I get here?”

Hakyeon scrunches his eyebrows, “I was about to ask you the same thing. What happened Jae? You look like a mess?”

Jaehwan blinks, mouth opening and closing as he tries to remember how he had gotten there. He looks off to the distance to see some man walking on the sidewalk, towards them, and for some reason he can’t quite understand, feels uneasy. 

“Jaehwan?” the older male calls out to him, bringing his attention back to his roommate. Hakyeon frowns in concern, placing the back of his hand over Jaehwan’s forehead. “Are you feeling sick? Did Hongbin drive you back? I don’t get it, why didn’t he take you inside the house instead of leaving you out here.”

_Hongbin_? 

It all floods back: the theatre, the car, the building. _“There is this thing that’s going to follow you...do not let it touch you because it will kill you.”_

Jaehwan releases a shaky breath, glancing at the approaching man on the sidewalk, feeling himself shiver as he hyperventilates, ignoring Hakyeon’s alarmed questions. The man glances at Jaehwan...and looks away, as he walks past the house. Jaehwan’s eyes follow the stranger as he continues to shake.

“Jaehwan!” his roommate calls out to him, shaking his shoulders with worry. “What the fuck happened?” 

The blond glances back at Hakyeon, eyes widened, mouth agape, a cry escaping through his mouth. _“H-hakyeon…"_ he starts off. 

Hakyeon immediately wraps an arm around and embraces him tightly, “Hey, hey, it’s okay. Whatever it is, it’ll be okay.” he says in a reassuring voice, patting the younger male’s back. 

  
Jaehwan lets out a shaky breath, his fists crumbling up his sweatshirt in little sweater paws, resting it on Hakyeon’s back. He sees a strange figure in the distance, walking at a leisurely pace. Letting out a shuddery breath, the blond whispers, _“I don’t know if it is.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Based on the premise of the movie _It Follows_. I took at lot from the first act of the movie but it's not exactly word-or-word. Hopefully the pacing is acceptable and you guys enjoy this. Please excuse any typos!


	31. Endgame (KenVi)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pairing: Wonshik/Jaehwan (KenVi)  
> Rating: T (mild cussing)  
> Prompt: ending/ "it's always been you"  
> Warning: none

Wonshik blinks drowsily at the numbers changing on the display ever-so slowly, finally reaching the _5,_ elevator dinging to inform him it has arrived on his floor. After a grueling shift at the store and his evening classes, he’s ready to collapse on his bed. Too bad he has plans for the evening. He sighs, rubbing his eyebrows as he steps out into the dimly lit hall, the welcoming beige walls setting an ambiance of warmth.

He’s turning the doorknob of his apartment when he hears the door to the stair open behind him in the hallway. Scrunching his eyebrows, he turns around to glance at the brave soul willing to climb up to the fifth floor. His eyes relax when he notices a mop of familiar, yet unknown, brown hair. It’s the cute guy Wonshik occasionally bumps into when he heads out or goes to the laundry room. The stranger walks towards the opposite side of the short hallway, humming himself with a melodious tone. Wonshik’s eyes follow the back of his head, slowly scanning down to the other male’s shoulder, wandering down and imagining the frame hiding under the loosely-fitted sweatshirt until it stops on the other’s jean-cladded bottom. 

Wonshik subconsciously licks his lips, eyes moving back up to find the other male staring at him with an impassive look, eyebrow raised. His eyes widen with surprise, finding himself choking on his own spit, averting his gaze. He hears a chuckle, looking back up to find the stranger grinning, eyes crinkling at the corners, shaking his head as he goes into his apartment. Wonshik groans, rubbing a hand over his face, all fatigue and sleepiness replaced with burning humiliation.

Once he’s in his apartment, Wonshik takes a quick shower and changes into a pair of comfy sweats and hoodie. He turns his tv and vr headset, drying his hair with a towel as he waits. Without a second thought, he tosses the damp towel over to the couch, cracking his neck and knuckles before putting the headset on. Giving his fingers a shake, he reaches over for the controller. His animated icon immediately loads: v-shaped chin, ovoid dark eyes, hair parted in the middle. He’s finally loaded onto the scene, with Wonshik’s view being the entrance of a creepy looking carnival or amusement park, the screen reading _Welcome ravithecrackkidz_.

He stands in the center of the living room, one on his hip, the other clutching the controller. He taps his foot on the ground as he patiently waits for his teammate to join, not necessarily out of annoyance but rather out of excitement. Soon enough he hears the _ding_ indicating his partner’s arrival, his stomach doing a little somersault. 

_Winkfairy0406 has joined the game_.

“Ah, finally.” he mutters to himself.

_“Hiiii!”_ the other player calls out in a playful voice. 

Wonshik snorts, an uncontrollable smile appearing on his face despite himself. The other male’s animated icon waves to Wonshik with similar filled-in eyes and brown fluffy hair. Wonshik grins as he teasingly says “Nice of you to finally join.”

The other male laughs, his character bouncing slightly in front of Wonshik “Oh please, let’s not act like you didn’t log in only a couple minutes before I did.” 

“Touche. Are we gonna chit-chat all night, or do you wanna finally finish this game?” Wonshik tries to reply cooly. 

“Well what are we waiting for? Lead the way.” the other male responds, a smirk evident in his voice even if Wonshik doesn’t see it on his partner’s icon. 

The student scoffs, making sure his headset is on properly. He walks towards the gate of the amusement park in the video game, turning to his colleague “Let’s go.” 

* * *

“ _Ravi_ , to your left!” _WinkFairy_ calls out, alerting Wonshik to shoot at the approaching demonic clown and then the two other ones following in toe. 

“Thanks _WinkFairy!_ ” he quickly says, turning to throw a hatchet at the ones approaching him from the front. _WinkFairy_ shoots at the targets as they walk by, collecting more points so they’re able to ‘load up on amo.’ 

The pair have nearly the final level, the ending of the game determined by how successful they are inside the carnival’s ‘Fun House.’ The entrance of the ‘tent’ was the shape of a demented clown’s mouth, so naturally the joint would be full of zombie, demonic clowns. A couple more kills and the room is empty except for the two players. The creepy slowed-down clown music plays in the background as Wonshik looks around apprehensively, checking for any last-minute lurking offenders. 

_“Ahh, aegi what are you doing in here? Daddy isn’t done with his game!”_ Wonshik hears _WinkFairy_ say beside him in a cooing voice. He blinks, turning to face his partner. The animated teammate isn’t moving his head around, looking at the ground. _“Aegi, stop that now!”_ the other male adds in the same soft voice. 

Wonshik scrunches his eyebrows, feeling slightly crestfallen. _Baby? Daddy? Who is he calling baby? Does he have a kid? With someone else?_ The thoughts run through his head as he gulps, shooting a demented contortionist speeding towards _WinkFairy_ , cackling with a hysterical laughter. _Now what the hell is a contortionist doing in the fun house?_

“Whoa, that was a close one! Thanks _Rava_!” his teammate says beside him. 

Wonshik rolls his eyes at the nickname that _WinkFairy_ sometimes insists on calling him instead of his alias. “Don’t mention it.” he responds, scanning the unsettling room as they walk further in. 

Two more clowns appear from Wonshik’s side, when _WinkFairy_ says “I got it!” shooting them dead in the head, squealing in delight when the monsters’s heads are blown off. A crazed jester with a chainsaw comes running out from the dark towards _WinkFairy,_ the latter turning just in time to hit the monster with an axe, scoffing at the bleeding figure. _“Take that you fucking bastards!”_ he shouts. Wonshik’s chokes on his spit at the sudden profanity, turning towards the smiling animation. His partner looks down on the floor again with a _cute_ whine, _“Aegiiii, what did I tell you? Daddy will play with you later.”_ he says again, in that baby like voice.

_Is he saying all of that...in front of his kid?_

Come to think of...he had been cussing like a sailor the entire time they’ve been playing….since the first day they teamed up. Wonshik clears his throat before mustering up his most casual voice, saying “I didn’t peg you for a father, _WinkFairy_.” He forces out a _relaxed_ chuckle for good measure.

His partner giggle beside him, “Oh I’m not, well at least I hope I’m not.” he says. “Aegi is my dog, _my wittle baby, aren’t you Aegi?_ ” he coos, mid-sentence, head immediately snapping up to shoot at a clown approaching them.

Wonshik feels his heart doing a funny little turn hearing that, thinking of his own dog peacefully sleeping on his dog bed in the bedroom. A smile forms on his face as he adds “Oh, sorry. When I heard you say daddy I thought you were talking about an actual baby.”

He hears _WinkFairy_ release an audible gasp, “What are you talking about? Aegi _is_ my baby! Why else would I name her _Aegi_?” he scrutinizes.

The student bursts out laughing, a feeling of endearment settling in his chest. He momentarily pauses when at least seven zombie clowns come out from the shadows. “I take the right and you take the left?” 

“Sounds like a plan.” _WinkFairy_ replies, his character already shooting at the approaching demons. 

The duo continue to take out the herd of zombies at a consistent speed until it is quiet again. Wonshik looks around the empty room once more as the pair slowly approaches the orange-lit back-room, _the ending_. Thinking back to their conversation before the clowns appeared, Wonshik thinks of what he can say next. He finds himself licking his lips in real-time, thankful that there is no way his virtual icon can copy that. 

_Super casually,_ Wonshik clicks his tongue, “Um, anyways, so you really named your dog Aegi?”

_WinkFairy_ hums, “Yessir. She’s my good girl, _my best girl, oh isn’t she!_ ” he adds in a baby voice.

It feels like a flurry of butterflies have swarmed Wonshik’s belly as he smiles at the other’s tone. “I’m assuming Aegi is there right now?” he muses.

Humming once more, _WinkFairy_ lets out a sigh, “I don’t have it in my heart to kick her out of the room. Also, I can’t even if I wanted to...I'd have to take my headset off, ha! I can't do that, now that we’re _this_ close!” 

Wonshik laughs, shooting a stray clown and returning his attention to his partner. He chuckles as he says “I get it.” He shoots another bloody clown. “My dog is sleeping right now but if he ran up to me I wouldn’t push him away either.” 

“Oh you have a dog too?” the other male asks with curiosity, shooting a few targets. “What’s his name?”

The student finds himself nodding with a dopey smile on his face. “Yep, he’s a french bulldog. I call him Eongdeongi.” He hears a loud snort, followed by a muffled chortle. Wonshik ignores the palpitation in his heart that giggle causes. “What? What’s so funny?” he asks instead, throwing an axe at an incoming jester.

_WinkFairy_ quietly laughs, “Butt? You named your dog butt?”

Scrunching his eyebrows, Wonshik turns towards his partner’s icon “Actually, he goes as _Badass_ , thank you very much.” 

Much to his chagrin, _WinkFairy_ cackles loudly, “Hold on, _Badass?!_ Oh my god, this is hilarious. Of course someone with the handle _ravithecrackkidz_ would call their little french bulldog Badass!” he laughs. 

Wonshik’s jaw drops once more in offense, “What’s wrong with ravithecracki-” until a loud sinister laugh interrupts him. The duo stop, having finally reached the entrance of the back-room. A dark, menacing figure steps out, cracking its head to either side. 

The student takes in a deep breath as he watches tens of demonic clowns appear behind the shadow. “ _WinkFairy?”_ he asks.

“Yes _ravithecrackkidz?_ ” the other responds. 

Wonshik squints his eyes, arms flexed in front of him in an offensive position. “You ready?” he questions.

He hears _WinkFairy_ scoff. “I was born ready.” the other says. _“Now let’s get these fuckers!”_

* * *

_Congratulations! You’ve completed the game!_

The once dark and menacing screen slowly shifts to a brighter one. Wonshik turns to find _WinkFairy’s_ character doing some type of dorky victory dance. Whether the dance is a feature of the game or the actual player himself, Wonshik doesn’t know. 

_“That’s right Aegi, Daddy and Ravi won the game!”_ He hears his partner coo to the dog. Wonshik finds himself smiling, albeit a little bitterly. They won the game, but that means no more playing with the other male.

_WinkFairy_ stops his dancing, turning towards Wonshik, a grin still evident on the icon’s face. “Well, it was a pleasure playing with you Ravi.” the other says.

Wonshik swallows the lump in his throat, a grin appearing on his face _despite_ himself. “It sure was _WinkFairy_.” 

The other male chuckles. “I hope to bump into you in some other game!” he says looking down at the ground, probably at his dog, “Well it seems like Aegi is in the mood for a walk, _and she absolutely deserves one for being such a good dog! Oh yes she does, oh yes she does!” WinkFairy_ adds in a baby-voice, the icon looking back up to Wonshik’s character and adding, “I guess this is goodbye _ravithecrackkidz_.”

Wonshik smiles as he says “Goodbye _WinkFairy_.” 

_WinkFairy_ waves to him one more time before the character disappears from the screen, the words _WinkFairy has left the game_ appearing on the screen. 

The student sighs, taking off his headset and placing it down on the tv stand along with the controller. A bark and a gentle pitter-patter grabs Wonshik’s attention, his eyes immediately widening with endearment when Eondeongi runs into the living room. _“Hey buddy!”_ he greets the bulldog immediately pawing at his feet. Wonshik picks the dog up, placing a kiss on his face as he chuckles, _“Done with your little nap?_ ” he coos to it. Eondeongi yips at him, moving around in his hold. He pets the bulldog for a couple more seconds, giggling at the squirming “You wanna go for a walk?”

* * *

Wonshik holds onto Eongdeongi’s leash in one hand as he shuts the door with the other, not paying attention to the bulldog’s barks. “Okay bud, Papa’s just making sure no one breaks in to steal our stuff.” he mutters in a coaxing voice. 

The bulldog continues to bark, now joined by a second yip from across the hall. _“Aegiiii,_ stop that! You’ll get daddy in trouble!” he hears a familiar voice murmur in a baby voice. Wonshik’s head immediately shoots up towards the sound, finding the stranger from earlier in front of his door petting a brown pomeranian. The stranger places a kiss on the barking dog’s head, shushing as he adds, “No barking till we’re outside Aegi, okay? Be a good girl!” 

Wonshik blinks, mind trying to wrap around this new possibility. He shakes his head and without thinking he finds himself stuttering out loudly _“W-wink, WinkFairy?!”_ slapping his hand over his mouth as soon as he realized what he just did (and became aware of the fact that his voice had just cracked). 

The stranger’s head snaps up at Wonshik, doe-eyes widened, mouth agape. He stands up from his crouching position and blinks at the student. Wonshik gulp, letting out a nervous chuckle as he waves at the other, “Uh, _WinkFairy0406?_ ” he asks dumbly.

The other male slowly walks towards Wonshik with a shocked expression, his dog walking along with him panting, barking at Eongdeongi as it gets closer, Wonshik’s bulldog barking right back. “Well I’ll be damned,” the stranger mutters to himself, stopping a couple of feet from Wonshik. 

Wonshik takes in a sharp breath, his heart doing cartwheels as he looks at the stranger in front of him: pretty brown eyes, a cute sloped nose, adorable pointy years, plush pink lips. His fluffy dark brown hair is slightly messy as it covers some of his forehead. He’s wearing the same oversized black sweatshirt Wonshik had seen him in earlier, slightly exposing his collarbone. The stranger tilts his head and gives a wide, boxy smile...and Wonshik swears, that he’s in love. Clicking his tongue, the brunet asks in a soft voice _“Ravithecrackkidz?”_

Blinking at the man in front of him, Wonshik nods back eagerly, not even trying to hide the smile forming on his face. The stranger in front of him winces just then, clicking his tongue, “I can’t believe I had to say that out loud.” he groans, looking back at Wonshik with a simper. 

Wonshik gapes at the man in front of him, unable to figure out what exactly he wants to say. The brunet giggles, extending his free out towards the student. “Jaehwan.” he says.

He looks at the extended hand for a second until his mind catches up with him. “Oh!” Wonshik says as shakes the hand, the flurry of butterflies dancing all around his belly at the skin contact. “Uh, Wonshik.” he responds, a goofy grin refusing to leave his face.

The stranger, no Jaehwan, smiles back at him, repeating _“Wonshik.”_ in a soft voice, as if testing the name out. He swipes his tongue discretely against the bottom of his lips, saying “Wonshik.” once more for good measure. He chuckles, “Well I’m glad to finally meet you in person, Ravi.” he teases.

Wonshik stares at Jaehwan, eyes full of adoration as he takes in the honey-like voice he had waited to hear during each gaming session. “Yes,” he says smiling, “Yes it is.” He finds himself staring at the brunet as the other stares back. Both of their dogs yelp at each other, the pair not even noticing. “Wow,” Wonshik finds himself mumbling, a delighted smile on his face, _“it’s always been you."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Decided to make the last one a slightly fluffy one. Sorry that it isn't scary, but please enjoy Jaehwan and Wonshik using baby-voices with their doggos! 
> 
> Thanks for joining me on this challenge! Feel free to follow me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/3star4life)!


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